Spike's Family
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Following the events of "New Year New City", Spike's first week at school did not go well.  His family is NOT happy!  What does that mean for him?
1. Chapter 1

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated Names, places, events etc. Anything not owned by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T-May be some mild adult themes.

Serena strode purposefully towards Spike and Bulk's place for their lesson, carrying a heavy training bag with her. She powered her way through the streets, occasionally bumping another pedestrian without really taking much notice. She didn't even hear their protests and expletives as she continued on her way, all she could hear in her mind were bits and pieces of conversations she had heard from Mentor Ji and Mia.

She was close to Mia, she really liked her. With the exception of Emily, she had bonded the most with Mia, and so it was only natural that Mia confided in her what had happened in Corinth between her and Kevin. There was a part of her that was genuinely happy for Mia, there really was. Unfortunately, it also coincided with what had proven to be one of the more awkward conversations she'd had to have.

She loved Stephen, she knew she did, and they were happy together, but when Mentor Ji had called her out on their behaviour, it had been somewhat of a mixed feeling. She knew that he had to concern himself with the welfare, physical and otherwise of the whole household, so she could understand what he had said about the way they were carrying on in the team's absence. It would have been insensitive to flaunt the comparative freedom they had in front of the others.

Once she had heard about Mia and Kevin though, a part of her had succumbed to jealousy. Despite their "floor show" as Ji had put it, they were still figuring out where they were with each other. Even despite Stephen's decision, it was still early days in the relationship, and if he had bothered to ask before he started throwing around judgements, she could have assured him that they hadn't actually taken things to that level yet. Now that she knew that Mia had, it almost felt like she had been cheated. It hurt that she was obeying rules that as far as she knew, even the others hadn't.

She heard a voice from behind her, but wasn't paying attention, instead just seething over the whole thing. She wondered how Mentor Ji would respond if he knew that one of his beloved Samurai had taken his precious rules out back and shot it like a rabid dog. She would never betray a friends' trust like that, but she was just so angry, she felt like it would give her at least some measure of satisfaction to wipe the smirk off his face.

As she got to the gate, she took a deep breath and composed herself before pressing the buzzer.

"Come on up." Spike announced through the speaker. As the gate opened, she felt a little slap on the shoulder.

"Serena, what the hell?" Emily protested as she arrived, looking annoyed. "My legs aren't as long as yours remember?"

"Sorry Em, I was thinking...about my lesson plan." Serena told her. "Now, remember. We only teach them hand-to-hand and sword techniques. We don't..."

"We don't tell them anything about the Ranger stuff." Emily grumbled, rolling her eyes. "You don't need to remind me. I'm not about to let the Ape Zord start dancing around the place."

"Sorry, I guess I still just think of you as my baby sister sometimes." Serena replied, pulling her in and ruffling her hair as they made their way up the path. Emily squealed and wormed her way out of her grip, looking annoyed.

"Serena, stop that!" She whined. "I'm not a kid!"

Serena felt a chill hearing her saying that. She was well aware of the fact that Emily was not a child. She had come to terms with the fact, indeed, she was proud of the way that her sister had grown. She was so proud and accepting that when she had the chance, she had turned down the opportunity to take up the Yellow Morpher because of how much she had seen Emily grow in her time at the Shiba House. She had even accepted Mike as a slightly irritating, sometimes downright annoying, but otherwise positive addition to Emily's life. Since Mia's admission though, she was getting a lot of unsettling mental images.

Emily was now 18, she was an adult. She was in a long-term relationship with Mike, and while she had no reason to think they had gone any further, she was sure that sooner or later, the relationship would move beyond kisses and cuddles. She was getting used to seeing Emily in his arms, or even seeing them kiss, but there was still a part of her that was a little hesitant about it all, especially when the thoughts came around to them taking things to that level.

As they got to the end of the path, Spike was sitting on the steps, some training equipment out in the yard chewing on his fingernails. Serena approached him.

"I thought you'd have warmed up..."

"Uncle Bulk's calling my parents." He told them. It had only been a day since he had been beaten savagely by the football team in retaliation for his ill-conceived fight against Brad. Even though he had won, they had not allowed things to end there, and he had ended up paying a heavy price. Now, he was just waiting to hear what his parents had to say as they heard how it had only taken him a week back in mainstream schooling to end up falling back into being a punching bag.

"Jeez, Serena wasn't kidding." Emily gasped. Serena just looked at Emily, before back to Spike.

"This diplomat is my little sister Emily." She told him. "She's the one I told you about, she went through a lot at the hand of spiteful little shits too."

"Pleased to meet you." He replied, shaking Emily's hand. "Wait...didn't we meet already?"

"The pastry shop." Emily responded. "You and your uncle nearly bumped into me and Jayden."

"That doesn't really narrow it down." He chuckled. "My uncle has kind of a sweet tooth."

Just then, Bulk came out, looking a little apprehensive.

"Sorry for the delay Serena, we just need to deal with some things." Bulk told her. "Spike, your parents want to talk to you."

"Uh...alright." He answered, before going inside. Bulk waved the two Earth Samurai in.

"We'll be ready to train soon." He told them. "We just...I thought they had a right to know."

"I understand." Serena sighed. "If Spike's stepmom didn't like me before, she's going to just love me now."

With that, they went inside and closed the door.

Ji was in the dojo, working hard on his technique by himself. He had already trained with the others, but since he was still relatively new to the Ranger game, even with his baptism by fire taking on all their responsibilities single-handed for a week, he was still pushing himself hard to ensure that when the time came, he would be a help and not a hindrance.

He was in incredible shape for his age, able to do things physically that most half his age would find impossible, but he still worried about his contribution to the team. Although he was able to push through his injuries, his mental discipline being able to compartmentalise pain into a part of his mind that he could ignore, he was still realistic about his shortcomings. He was not a young man. He was around the same age as the other Rangers' parents, all of whom had long since retired from active service, and yet here he was, only just beginning his time as a Ranger.

He was always scared for his Rangers, Jayden especially, knowing the terrible danger they faced every time they went out into the field. None of them were under any false impressions what they were up against, not one of their parents had left their final battle against the Nighlock the same person they went in. In one way or another, the war took its toll, and for at least one of them, it had been the last time they ever left home. For his best friend, Jayden's father, it was the last time his son would see him alive.

He was grateful initially for the fact that he could finally do something more than just examine maps and scrolls for the team, and do something practical to help them come home safely, but he was also worried about the potential risk he posed. He was scared he would slow them down, or that he would become a liability, just something else for them to worry about. The last thing he'd ever want is to be more harm than good, and so he was doing all he could to ensure he was up to speed.

As he swung around, he heard a shriek, and pulled his blow in time to stop his bo staff colliding with the skull of a woman that had walked into the dojo. She fell to the ground, her briefcase falling open and papers flying everywhere. Ji took a moment to recognise her, and immediately dropped his bo staff, reaching to her to help her up.

"Brenda." He began. "What...?"

"I rang the bell, but no one answered." She told him. All the Rangers were out at the time. Jayden and Antonio were away making up for the time Antonio hadn't been trading, while Mia, Kevin and Mike...well...in truth he couldn't remember what they had said they were doing. He just welcomed the time to have the house to himself.

"I came to see Antonio." She told him, straightening out her semi-circular glasses as he helped her up. Brenda Hamilton worked with the health department, and was responsible for checking up on the standards of a lot of the local street-vendors and fast food outlets. However, the last time they had seen each other was not exactly business. They had dated briefly, all too briefly all things considered. Ji had ended up under a powerful spell cast by a Nighlock, and had unfortunately said and done some things that had effectively ended the relationship. Without the ability to explain his actions under the Nighlock's spell without revealing who the Samurai were, he couldn't find any way to justify the way he had behaved. Their last words on the phone had been far from friendly.

She straightened out her navy-blue pants suit as Ji offered her a duster. She just refused it.

"There have been a few reports of food poisoning in the area Antonio normally operates." She told him. "I need to verify the cleanliness of his equipment and his movements."

"He should be back shortly." Ji told her, putting his bo staff away in the rack. "Would you like some tea while you wait?"

"Just, ask him to call me." She told him, handing him a card. He just sighed.

"He will not be long." He assured her. "Brenda..."

"Ms. Hamilton." She responded.

"Please, I behaved terribly, I know I did." He told her. "Just...surely we can be civil."

"Just have him call me." She told him.

"I have some peanut butter cookies." He called out. She stopped in her tracks and turned towards him.

"Do you really think...?"

"I do not expect you to excuse my actions." He assured her. "He should be back within the hour. Surely you can tolerate a cup of tea and some cookies within that time."

She just smiled a little.

"Did you bake them?" She asked. He nodded in response.

"Do you still like green leaf?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Alright, but I can't stay long." She told him. Ji just took her inside.

Back at Bulk and Spike's place, Bulk was keeping Serena and Emily company while Spike was on the phone to his parents.

"So...not a fun conversation then?" Serena asked. Bulk shook his head.

"They pulled him from school for a reason." Bulk told them. "I really want to do what's right for him, and I think this is it. He really wants this, but they worry about him."

"Everyone gets bullied." Emily said with a shrug. "I mean, I know better than most how they make a person feel, but surely they can't think having him running away is the answer."

"It took him a week to get his ass handed to him by the football team." Bulk reminded her. "Would you blame them for thinking he isn't safe there?"

Emily couldn't argue that point. All things considered, she'd have understood if her parents had taken her out of school. They weren't poor, their farm was able to maintain a very comfortable lifestyle, but it was nowhere near enough to pay for private tutors. Given her mother's Samurai mentality, they would never have given Emily the option of running away anyway, knowing that she would only have spent her life running from trouble, but she would have understood the decision Spike's parents made.

"No dad, I'm fine, believe me." Spike told him. "Sure some of the older kids are jerks, but it's nothing I didn't expect or can't handle."

He waited for an answer, and then responded.

"Look, I'm sore but..."

Bulk's eyes shot wide when he heard this and he turned to Spike, his arms waving frantically.

"Sore, yeah, sure I'm sore after the fight." He replied. Just then, Spike saw his uncle's expression and realised too late what he had done. The voices on the other end became so loud that they could almost be heard in the room. Despite their earlier conversation about his responsibility to tell them, Bulk had been somewhat economical with the details when he told them that Spike was having a rough time. Spike winced as the screaming continued for what seemed like ages.

"We're not training today are we?" Emily whispered to Serena. The older Earth Samurai just shook her head.

"It doesn't look like it." She replied. After a bit longer, Spike just sighed.

"Alright." He replied, before holding up the phone. "Mom wants to talk to you."

Bulk noticeably gulped as he heard this. It was bad enough that Spike had been hurt, it was worse that it had happened on his watch. It was now compounded further by the fact that he had 'lied' to them. He hadn't really lied, he had told them that he had been getting a tough time from some of the older kids, but he had just left out some of the details, such as the fact that Spike had actually been in a fight, never mind being involved in a gang-style revenge beating.

He made his way over and took the phone from Spike, gesturing to Spike to sit down. He sat with Serena, who put an arm around him.

"Look, I didn't lie." Bulk said as the screaming started again. "I just..."

"I've really done it now." Spike muttered to Serena. "I've gotten Uncle Bulk in trouble."

"You weren't to know." Serena assured him. "You didn't know he hadn't told them everything.

"No, I didn't say he had been in a fight." Bulk continued. "I knew you'd just worry and...I said I'm sorry..."

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Spike protested, a couple of tears beginning to form. "Dad's been friends with Uncle Bulk since...well...before they were my age! They're like brothers!"

"Well, I did warn you that fighting rarely leads to anything good." Serena reminded him. "I know it seems all great facing down your enemy like that, but seriously, how do you expect a guy to feel once he gets handed a beating?"

"How did you feel?" Emily asked him.

"Like I wanted all of them to suffer." Spike sighed. "I know, but I took the bruises..."

"Battles always have innocent casualties." Emily told him. "Look at the Power Rangers. Did you know that hospital admissions are up about 38 per cent since they started their battles?"

Serena just cocked an eyebrow, but Emily just shrugged. It was hard to avoid the news about them given their position. Although they fought to protect people, and although everyone was sure things would be much worse without their intervention, the fact was that there were still civilian casualties. Not even they could stop everyone from getting hurt.

"I guess." Spike muttered.

"That isn't necessary; I can take care of him." Bulk stated. "No, wait; I can...Kim...Kim!"

Just then, Bulk pulled his head back as the phone was slammed down and the tone rang through. He slowly hung up the phone and looked to Spike.

"I'm sorry Uncle Bulk..."

"It's alright; I should have told you what I planned to say." He replied sadly as he sat down. He looked to Serena as he pointed Spike in the direction of a bottle of whisky. "You...uh..."

"Somehow I doubted we'd be training today." Serena assured him. Emily just sat forward.

"So they were pretty mad huh?" She asked him.

"Yeah, that's the polite way to put it." Bulk told her. Spike came back with a glass and handed it to his uncle. Bulk's hand was shaking as he took it.

"So, what did they say?" Spike asked him.

"Sit down." He told him. Spike just did as he was asked. "Your parents...well...they're not at all happy."

"But it wasn't your fault, I did this!" Spike protested. Bulk shook his head.

"It isn't that simple. I'm meant to be taking care of you." He told him. "And, they kind of think I haven't done too good a job."

"But..."

"It's not your fault, you're a kid, I don't have that excuse." Bulk told him.

"They want me to quit school don't they?" Spike asked him.

"Spike..."

"They want me to go out there?" He shrieked. "But I love it here! I don't know anyone in...!"

"Spike!" Bulk shot out, silencing him. "They haven't made any decisions, but they aren't happy, so..."

He took a long gulp of whisky before looking to him.

"They want to see for themselves." Bulk told him. "Your dad's at a vital juncture with his business, so he can't come home yet, but Kim said she'll be on the first plane out here."

Spike got up and ran from the room, heading up to his bedroom. As Emily was about to go, Bulk held up a hand and shook his head.

"He always beats himself up." Bulk assured her. "I'll see him in a little while."

"We should..." Serena replied, flicking a thumb in the direction of the door. "Come on squirt, let's leave them to it."


	2. Things Change

Antonio and Jayden came into the Shiba House, bringing the fish cart into the main hall as they arrived.

"What did I tell you Jay, the sales worked a charm!" Antonio told him, waving around a large wad of money. "God bless hungry bargain hunters!"

Jayden laughed, but as he saw Brenda sitting with Mentor Ji, he tapped Antonio on the arm and pointed to raise his attention. He put away the money as he saw her.

"Ms. Hamilton..."

"There's no need to worry Antonio." She assured him. "At this time of year there are always a lot of people setting up food stands on the fly, and we've had a couple of complaints. I just need to make sure everyone's paperwork and equipment is in order."

"Right, of course." Antonio replied, gesturing to her to follow him. "Just this way."

As they went, Jayden gave Ji a knowing look, a little smirk starting to appear on his face.

"Well, this all seemed rather...cosy." Jayden teased him. Ji just rolled his eyes.

"Don't start Jayden." Ji warned him.

"Hey, I'm not saying anything." He continued to tease him as he followed his father-figure into the kitchen. Ji put the tea set on the edge of the sink, before turning back to Jayden. "I just think that the whole thing, sitting down with a cup of tea and cookies, it all looked...nice."

"It was nice." Ji agreed. "Brenda is very pleasant company."

"So...maybe you could suggest..."

"Given the nature of our last meeting, I doubt that would be a productive conversation." Ji stated flatly. Just then, Brenda and Antonio came back into the room. She handed Antonio a report, smiling as she did so.

"Well, I have to say that if every cart I checked out was this well maintained, my job would be a whole lot easier." She complimented him. "If you have any concerns or questions about what we discussed today, feel free to call my office and set up an appointment."

"I'm glad I could help." Antonio assured her. "Trust me; I've seen the stands you're talking about. It just gives the rest of us a bad name when one of them causes people to get sick."

"Well, if you see anything you think we should investigate, you can call as well." Brenda told him. "Unfortunately these guys set up and break down so quickly, normally by the time we hear about them they're long gone."

"I'll keep that in mind." Antonio stated.

"Thanks for the cookies." She called out to Ji as she made her way to the door. "They were just as good as I remember."

"I am glad you liked them." Ji answered with a little smile. "I'm just sorry about the greeting."

"Well, it was unique." She sniggered. "It's not every day someone almost brains me with a big stick."

"Bo staff." Ji corrected her as he showed her to the door. "Have a good day Brenda."

"You too Ji." She replied, giving him a little smile, before turning and leaving the Shiba House. As he watched her leave the gate, he took a deep breath.

"If the two of you are still there when I turn around, you'll both be doing laps until bed time." Ji warned them. Jayden and Antonio scrambled from the room frantically, leaving Ji in the hall. He just laughed and shook his head.

"Still got it." He chuckled to himself.

The following morning, Bulk dropped Spike off at the school gates. He had a few things to sort out before he went to pick Kim up from the airport. He looked to Spike as he applied the parking brake.

"Try not to worry too much." He said sympathetically.

"That's easy for you to say." Spike grumbled.

"I'm sure Kim will hear us out." Bulk said somewhat unconvincingly. For all the good qualities she possessed, Kimberly had never been the most reasonable of people whenever someone she cared about was threatened or hurt. It was hard enough knowing that he had let Skull down in his duty to take care of Spike, but knowing that Kim was coming, likely to see how bad things were and decide what to do next had him deeply worried. He loved the kid, he didn't want to see him getting hurt, and he had only been trying to do what he thought was right.

Spike was quiet as he got out of the car, making his way into the school. He wasn't too hopeful about Kim's visit either. As much as he loved his step-mother, he knew that she was far from happy to hear about what had happened since he had gone back to school.

As he made his way towards his locker, he saw the kids lining the corridors all whispering, and a few of them were even laughing. Thanks to cell phones and social media, everyone in school had heard about what had happened to Spike by now. Clearly most of them thought he had brought it on himself, and were on the side of the football team and their reign of terror.

He arrived by his locker, finding that it had been tagged. Someone had spray-painted the words "Welcome to Central Bitch" on the door. He just sighed, unlocking the door before fetching out his books for the morning classes. Vicky and Jimmy arrived by his locker.

"Are you sure you want to be seen with me?" Spike asked them. "I think it's been made pretty clear where the school stands on the whole situation."

"I never did care what they think." Vicky stated abruptly. She moved a little closer to him. "You're our friend, we wouldn't just ditch you."

"Yeah, you're the best Spike!" Jimmy assured him. "Brad found that out the hard way remember?"

Spike looked across the hall to the other row of lockers. Brad was back at school as well, also sporting the after effects of the fight. He had a lot of bruising across the face where Spike had kicked him, and his right hand was in a large, white cast as a result of his errant punch into the side of a dumpster. Spike just groaned.

"Great, that's all I need." He muttered. "That just confirms it, his hand is broken. The school's definitely going to hate me."

"We don't." Vicky reminded him.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Spike assured her. "But I notice Mal isn't anywhere to be seen."

"I...uh..." Jimmy started to stammer out. "I haven't seen him all morning either."

As Spike was about to say something, Dr. Phelps arrived.

"Ah, Mr. Skullovitch, how are you this fine day?" He asked. Spike just looked at him rather incredulously. It wasn't like anyone could miss the fact that he had been in a fight.

"Uh...alright I guess." Spike replied.

"You see, I have heard troubling news about you my boy." He told him. "I hear that you believe that violence is an acceptable way to settle your problems."

"Sir I..."

"Well, I can't say that anyone has confirmed that, otherwise I assure you I would act, but I would say that perhaps the other boy made his point." Dr. Phelps said, looking down his nose at him. "Perhaps you should remember that the next time you decide to raise those fists of fury."

"But..."

"Try to keep your nose clean Mr. Skullovitch." He drawled as he walked off. Spike's mouth just hung open in shock.

"Fists of Fury?" Jimmy asked judgementally. "That guy seriously needs a TV. That movie's about thirty years old!"

"Yeah, because that's the point." Vicky replied sarcastically. Spike then saw the football team coming over, and rolled his eyes.

"Wow, I never thought you'd have the balls to show your face around here again." One of them stated. It was the half-back, Justin. He was a big kid, bigger than Brad, with a shaven head, and dark skin. He made a point of shoving Jimmy into the lockers as he confronted Spike. "Speaking of which, it looks like someone rearranged it pretty good."

"Yeah, and we all know who." Vicky snapped. "Awfully brave of you to take him with a dozen of your friends."

"Justin, leave it." Brad told him, looking between him and Spike a little warily. "Come on, it's almost time for class."

"I saw you talking to Dr. Phelps." Justin stated, ignoring Brad. "Let me guess, you were trying to squeal again."

"As if that would make any difference." Spike said sarcastically. Justin just laughed.

"Well what do you know, the kid can learn." Justin said, placing a hand on Spike's head and messing up his hair. Spike just glared at him, but thought better of doing anything to stop him. The whole team was there, it would be a pointless fight. "Maybe that lanky kid can learn too."

"Mal?" Jimmy asked.

"What did you do to him?" Vicky screeched. Brad grabbed Justin's sleeve and pulled him back.

"Justin, leave it alone!" He told him, his face looking slightly pale.

"We thought the kid looked like he was feeling a little...patriotic." Justin told them. Spike and his friends shoved their way past them, running outside. Justin just sighed and turned to Brad, looking at him.

"What the hell man? We were having fun!" He stated.

"We made our point." Brad stated sternly.

"You know, I think I see what's happening here." Justin replied, stepping closer. "I think the kid got to you."

"Whatever Justin." He grumbled. He was about to leave, but Justin grabbed him and held him back.

"You know, with that busted hand, you're not going to be much of a quarterback." Justin reminded him.

"I'll be back in a few weeks." Justin stated.

"Well, we both know who the second stringer is, and that means I have a few weeks to talk to the coach." He continued. "I think he might like to know his first-string quarterback's a coward!"

"If I didn't have this you wouldn't be saying that!" Brad yelled, gesturing to the cast. Justin just shoved him backwards, where he landed on his butt on the floor.

"You know, I think maybe it's time for some new leadership." Justin declared aloud. "What do you guys think?"

Brad just watched as the others laughed and left with Justin. He slowly got back to his feet, straightening himself out and gathering his belongings, before making his way to his first class alone.


	3. The StepMother has Landed

At lunch time, Spike arrived in the cafeteria with Vicky, finding Mal and Jimmy had already found them a table. As they all sat down, they began the all too familiar process of rationing out their lunches to make sure that today's victim, in this case Mal, had something to eat. Although none of them carried lunch money anymore as a way of ensuring the bullies didn't continually hit them all up for money, they still generally ended up taking and rendering at least one of their lunches inedible.

After getting half a ham sub from Spike, an apple from Vicky, and a bag of chips from Jimmy, he just sighed and reluctantly handed the sub back to Spike.

"What gives?" Spike asked him.

"It's not kosher." He told him. Vicky just sighed and gave him her cheese sandwich and took Spike's half ham sub.

"Mal's Jewish." She explained. "You didn't know."

"Sorry Mal." Spike responded. "I'll try to remember in future."

"So, how was your morning?" Vicky asked him. "You know, after..."

"After the football team duct taped me to the flagpole with my pants round my ankles?" Mal asked her. "Oh, it was wonderful. The others had a good old laugh about it."

Spike and his friends had found him after the football team had told them that they thought he looked like he felt "patriotic". At first, Spike had been expecting something else entirely, but then what they found was pretty bad. They had obviously decided to make a point with Spike about who really did run the school with a big display. They had found Mal taped to the flagpole, his pants pulled down, and his face painted with a roughly free-drawn stars and stripes motif.

"Just ignore it..."

"Yeah, because it's so easy to ignore a thousand kids with camera phones!" He yelled. "Do you realise how many kids will have that picture on Facebook by now? Thanks to you, I'll be getting laughed at on an international level!"

"Me?" Spike shrieked as Mal pointed at him. "What did I do?"

"That little stunt you pulled just made things a million times worse!" Mal snapped at him.

"But, I didn't..."

"Justin told me they were waiting for you! But when you didn't show, they just did this to me instead!" Justin continued. "This was meant for you! I still have some of that crap n my hair!"

"Mal, it wasn't Spike's fault!" Vicky protested. "He tried to help!"

"Well nice job breaking it Hero!" He blurted out bitterly as he picked up his makeshift lunch. "Why don't you do us all a favour and just quit?"

He stormed off, leaving Spike clearly upset by his rant. Jimmy looked to him.

"Don't just sit there, go after him." She told her brother. Jimmy ran off after him to make sure he was alright. Vicky just sighed and put her hand on Spike's and looked to him sympathetically.

"Don't listen to him." She assured him. "He's just upset, he knows..."

"But he has a point. I did make things worse." Spike muttered. "Before, they would have been happy just taking his lunch."

"Spike..."

"I thought showing them someone wasn't afraid of them, that they weren't strong enough to just steamroll over everyone else would make them think twice before they picked a victim." He whined dejectedly. "Now they're worse than ever, and Mal hates me."

"Just wait until he calms down." Vicky told him. "He'll realise he just lashed out because of what happened."

"But the flagpole..."

"They do that to a freshman kid after every game!" She stated. "Mal was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens."

"Yeah, he was in my place." Spike muttered under his breath.

"Somehow I doubt that." Vicky said with a little smile.

"But they said..."

"Spike, did you notice how none of them made a move on you?" Vicky asked him.

"We were in the corridor. Dr. Phelps had just left." He reminded her.

"Well, did you also notice who was trying to get them to stop?" Vicky asked him. "Brad seemed to be pretty keen to just leave you alone."

"I don't follow." Spike stated. She just grinned as she held his hand softly.

"I think they all got a pretty big fright when they realised that they picked the wrong victim." She answered. "Brad especially. I think he was trying to get them to reconsider."

"So you think...?"

"I think that maybe you made more of a point than you realised." She told him. "I think this stuff is just them licking wounds and trying to get their spot back."

"So...what do you think that means?" Spike asked her.

"I think maybe if you've made your point to the ring leader, then they'll start to fall into line."

"He doesn't look like much of a leader right now." Spike told her as he pointed across to another table. Turning, she saw Brad carrying his tray awkwardly in his one free hand. He was standing by the table the football team were sitting at, but no one moved. He stood there for a little longer, before Justin pointed to another table, and he left to sit on his own, starting to eat his lunch morosely. "What do you reckon that means?"

"Uh...you know what I said about influencing the leader?" She asked him. He nodded. "Well, forget it. I'd say the pack just kicked him out."

"Great, so basically I've replaced Ghengis Khan with Stalin!" He complained. "Maybe it's just as well my step mom's coming to town to take me out of school."

"Wait, what?" She gasped, taking a double-take. "Back up there. You're leaving?"

"I don't want to, but she's coming to town because of the fight." Spike told her. "She's probably going to make me go back to home-schooling."

"But...she can't!" She shrieked. "You love it here! Sure, things have been rough, but you like the classes...and you have friends and...she just can't!"

"You don't know my step-mom, she's really protective. She's the one that decided I should be home-schooled in the first place." He told her. "She hated the idea of me coming back, and this all just proves she was right."

As his cell phone bleeped, Vicky just stared into space, her mouth flapping wordlessly as she tried to find something to say. Her mind desperately tried to think of some compelling argument, something she could say or do that would make it impossible for his step-mom to think taking him out of school would accomplish anything. Spike checked his phone, seeing a text message and sighed.

"That was Uncle Bulk." He told her. "He's just at the airport waiting for my step-mom's plane."

"Spike..."

"It's alright, it's my own fault." He told her in a defeated tone. "I should have known better."

With that, he got up and walked away, leaving Vicky on her own with her lunch. She picked it up, launching it into a trash can. She had completely lost her appetite.

Over at the Shiba House, Serena was sitting alone as Mia came in from a jog with Kevin, laughing as they arrived. Kevin held her in his arms as they arrived.

"You let me win." Mia protested.

"Mia..."

"It was a race, and you let me win." She giggled, turning to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"Can I help it if I like running behind you?" She asked her as they started to kiss. "Now, the others are out, so, how about we go for a shower..."

Serena cleared her throat and got up, starting to make her way to the kitchen.

"Does anyone want a drink?" She asked them. "It looks like you could use it."

"Wow, um...Serena." Mia stammered out, turning to see her. "We didn't realise you were..."

"Spike's step-mom is coming to town, so we're taking a rain-check on their training for her to settle in." Serena told them. "It's probably for the best, the only time I talked to her she didn't seem to like me too much."

"OK, um...why don't you go and get a shower?" Mia suggested to Kevin. "I'll go next."

Kevin just gave her a quick peck n the cheek, before heading to their room to use the shower. Mia came over to the kitchen counter as she started to get some fruit and the blender.

"Sorry about that." Mia whispered. "I know Kevin and I have been a little full-on recently." Mia said with a little smirk. "We have been kind of..."

"You slept together, alright we get it!" Serena groaned. "You don't need to keep reminding me."

"Oh...sorry." Mia murmured as Serena chose out some ingredients and started to prepare them for the blender. She gave Serena a little look. The older Earth Samurai could only continue to ignore it for so long, before she looked at Mia and shook her head shrugging. "Can I help you with something?"

"Serena, is everything alright?" Mia asked. Serena just turned back to what she was doing.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Serena answered.

"You've been kind of...well...kind of snippy." Mia told her. "Is everything cool between us?"

"Mia..."

"If I've done something wrong, then..."

"For God's sake Mia, give it a rest." Serena put down flatly.

"Not until I know what's going on." Mia told her.

"It's just..." She began, before looking to Mia. "Ji kind of said something to me."

"What about?" Mia asked her.

"Well, Peter and I were getting a little too...friendly...in the kitchen." She told her. Mia just smirked.

"Well, I didn't see that coming at all." She commented. Serena just snapped her fingers.

"That's not the point!" She shrieked. "He lectured us about being respectful of his rules."

"Awkward." Mia replied, sucking her teeth. "But what does that have to do with us?"

"You don't see it do you? Do you not realise how it's been seeing the two of you?" She asked. "I've had Ji going on at us for a little make-out session in the kitchen and asking us to cool things for your sakes, and you and Kevin are..."

"Wait, what?" Mia asked her. Serena glared at her.

"You know, 'the rules'?" She asked her. "Well, he asked us to keep a lid on things for your sakes because he was worried we'd be setting a double standard and rubbing your faces in it. He was worried about how we'd make you feel."

"Oh God." Mia whispered.

"I told him we would for your sakes." Serena told her. "Thank you so much for making that decision worth it!"

With that, she stormed out. Kevin came back into the room.

"The shower's great." He told her, kissing her softly, before looking around curiously. "Uh...where'd Serena go? I thought we were having smoothies."

"Kevin, we need to talk." Mia told him, looking to him regretfully. Kevin just took a seat.

Meanwhile, over at the Airport, Bulk was waiting in the arrivals section, keeping an eye on the boards. Kim had already told him the flight number so he could be there to pick her up. According to the board, the plane had already landed, so he was sure that she would likely be coming through the gate any moment now.

He readjusted his collar and took a deep gulp as he tried to alleviate his nerves. Despite what he had seen of Spike since he had come to live with him, he was more than aware that his parents probably didn't see it that way when it came to the job he had been doing taking care of him. To them, all he had done was manage to get Spike into trouble.

He looked up, forcing a little smile as she arrived. She didn't look much different from the last time he had seen her. She was wearing a pale blue denim jacket and jeans, with a pink t-shirt. Her long, brown hair was tied back out of her face. As he approached her, he gave her a hug, which she returned half-heartedly at best.

"Kim, you're looking good." He told her, taking her case. She just looked at him a little coldly. "Spike's really excited to see you."

"Where's the car?" She asked him. He just pointed to the door.

"I'm parked out this way." He told her. "I have a room set up for you, and we're making a great green Thai chicken curry..."

"Bulk, can we just get going?" She asked him. "I've been on that plane for a couple of hours."

"Sure." He told her, before leading her towards his car, taking a deep breath. This was going to be just as hard as he thought.


	4. A Tense Dinner

Spike was walking home morosely with Vicky and Jimmy at the end of the school day. Normally, it was a long day, especially any days where he had no free periods, but today just seemed to race by. He had even inadvertently ended up answering "the square root of four", only to be reminded he was in Spanish class to a chorus of laughter.

Jimmy had spoken to Mal, but he had still not come back to them, running off immediately following final period. Although Jimmy had said something about what he had said, it was clear Mal was still not quite ready to forgive and forget Spike for the flagpole incident, which clearly he still considered his fault.

He was incredibly quiet as he walked. He could hear Jimmy and Vicky talking, but he didn't respond at all. All he could think about was that soon he would be face-to-face with Kim, and he would have to explain what had happened, and find a way to appease her.

His own mother had not been a part of his life beyond his birth. His dad had explained that their time together was brief, and that she had not given him up. His real mother had died very young, long before Spike could even remember her, and the only home he had ever known was the Skullovitch household until Kim came into his father's life.

A chance encounter when he was still but a child had led to something special between his father and the woman he had admitted he had loved since grade school. His father had told him many times about how Kim was the one that insisted on meeting him, and getting to know him. She had even insisted that even though his mother was gone, they keep her memory alive. She never wanted to lie to him and pretend that his real mother had never been, even if he couldn't remember her. In the end, he loved her like a mother, and one of the things that made him love her most was the fact that he knew, he always knew, she wasn't part of his life because of obligation or duty. She had chosen to take him as her son.

He felt a hand in his and looked to see Vicky at his side, giving him a nervous little smile.

"Do you want us to go up with you?" She asked him. He looked to the gate, realising he had arrived home, which was at least a mile out of his friends' way. They had taken him all the way in his fugue, just to be there for him and support him. He sighed and shook his head.

"It's time to face the music." He told her regretfully. "If I'm not back tomorrow..."

"You'll be back." Vicky interrupted him loudly.

"Just...if I'm not...tell Mal I'm sorry." He told her. He then buzzed at the gate. "It's me."

The gate swung open, but he was stopped as Vicky grabbed his arm. She looked to him.

"Send me a text or something." She instructed him. Spike just nodded, before heading inside. As she watched him go, she finally looked round, seeing Jimmy looking up at her with a dreamy expression, and an evil smirk.

"Spike...don't go..." He whispered, before puckering up his lips and making kissing sounds. Vicky just grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him away.

"You're lucky you're my brother." She growled as she took him away, glancing back, once more, to the house.

Spike made his way up the path, arriving at the door, and took a second to steel himself before opening it and heading inside. He put his bag down at the door and made his way to the living room. There, he found his uncle sitting on his large, easy chair across from the couch. Kim turned around, and got up as she saw Bulk looking to the door. Making her way over, she looked him up and down. She didn't need to say anything for him to know she wasn't happy.

After a moment, she pulled him in, hugging him warmly. He returned it, but he didn't feel as happy as he normally did. He loved her, and was happy to see her again. It had been a long time since his parents had to leave on business, but he knew why she was likely to be there.

"I'll just...check on dinner." Bulk told them, excusing himself. Kim took Spike to the couch and sat down with him.

"You've grown." She commented. Spike just nodded.

"Two inches." He confirmed, feeling none of the tension subsiding. As the clock seemed to tick by painfully slowly, he was sure this was exactly how those guys sitting in cells on Death Row felt in the movies.

Back in the Shiba House, Kevin was sitting on the stool, trying to digest what Mia had said to him.

"So Serena and Stephen...?"

"No." Mia told him. "Well, maybe, but, I don't know...she wasn't really clear." She told him. "The thing is, she had that talk with Ji."

"Just think what he'd have said to us if he knew..."

"Kevin, focus!" Mia barked. "The thing is...we know the rules. We've always known the rules."

"Yeah." Kevin said with a little smirk. "Who thought breaking them would be so fun?"

"Kevin, will you please keep your mind on this?" Mia asked him. "We signed up for this, Serena didn't!"

"Yeah, but..."

"No, so she enjoyed that little talk, took that little bullet for our sakes." Mia continued. "I don't know if she and Stephen have...you know...or if they haven't. Frankly, I'm not sure I want to, but you have to admit, it has to suck a little knowing it isn't on the cards through no choice of their own."

"I guess..."

"And what was the first thing we told them when we got back?" Mia asked him.

"Ah!" Kevin uttered, suddenly putting himself there.

"And we've been...?"

"We've been putting on a bad daytime special." He muttered, trying to imagine the situation. "We didn't know, but...I guess it still must feel a little insensitive."

"I was also thinking about Mike and Emily." Mia admitted. "Has Mike said anything...?"

"What makes you think he'd tell me?" Kevin asked her.

"He's your best friend." Mia told him. "Emily hasn't said anything to me, and Serena hasn't said anything, so I presume..."

"Wait, why are we now talking about Mike and Emily?" He asked her. Mia just looked at him a little disbelievingly.

"We are, like it or not, kind of role models." She told him. "Don't you think it'd be a little hard for them to obey 'the rules' when they already know we haven't?"

"I guess..."

"Or if we are putting on, as you put it, 'a bad daytime special'?" She pressed on. He just nodded as he conceded the point.

"I guess maybe we should just cool things off a little." She told him. "If nothing else, just so we're not continually slapping everyone in the face with what we have and they don't."

"I guess it'll take some discipline." Kevin told her. "Just as well I have plenty of that."

"I guess the next thing is to talk to Serena." Mia told him.

"Well, maybe not the NEXT thing." Kevin told her. Mia just found herself smiling a little.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked him.

"We do have a room to ourselves." He told her. "And there are plenty of things we could enjoy with no risk of being heard until she gets back."

"Who would ever have thought of you as a bad influence?" She asked playfully as she took him by the hand and led him towards the bedroom.

Elsewhere, Mentor Ji was dressed in street clothing, making his way to the Department of Health office. Antonio had a report that he needed to deliver to the offices, but he and Jayden had made their excuses and run off with his cart and fishing equipment before he could protest. Mike and Emily had gone off to train by themselves, and Kevin and Mia had gone jogging early meaning that it was down to him to deliver the report.

He knew that he had likely been set up. Since Jayden and Antonio had seen him talking with Brenda the last time, Jayden and Antonio had been quite obvious about the fact they thought he should try to make things up to her. He appreciated their intentions, but he had already resigned himself to the fact that without telling her who they were, he couldn't explain how he had behaved the last time they had dated. Thinking about it, it seemed for the best anyway. The other Samurai had been lucky enough to find each other, although they faced danger, they all knew they could handle that risk through their training. Even Stephen had chosen to be involved in the war, and knew of the danger he faced. It seemed bad enough to risk someone who wasn't trained to deal with the risks involved like they were. Risking someone who wasn't even aware of the risks seemed downright irresponsible.

As he got to the building, he signed himself in, and made his way to Brenda's office. He knocked the door and headed in, finding her working hard on some paperwork.

"Waste in the kitchen, rat droppings, leaky sink, no doors between the kitchen and employee bathroom..." She muttered, marking down the citations on the report.

"That's quite a recipe." Ji commented. She looked up, seeing him and adjusted her glasses. "I hope it's nowhere I've eaten recently."

"Trust me, if you knew half of the reports that came across my desk, you'd probably never eat out." She told him. "This place though, it doesn't need shut down, it needs condemned!"

"Antonio filled out those papers for you." He told her, handing over an envelope. She just looked to it and smiled.

"Thanks." She replied. "You didn't have to come down here though; you could have just mailed them."

"He didn't tell me that." Ji replied with a little smirk. He made a mental note to talk to Antonio later about that part of the plan. If he was sure before that it was a set up, now it was confirmed. "Well, I guess it is good to get out of the house. I can see you're busy, so..."

"Ji!" She called after him, getting up. "Would you like to go for some coffee?"

"I..."

"Please, I've been up to my eyes in paperwork for hours, and I've got a massive headache. If I don't take a break soon..."

"Never let it be said I won't save a damsel in distress from the evils of paperwork." He commented.

"I'll point out this place to you on the way." She responded as she picked up her purse and straightened herself out.

"I suppose there are advantages to your job." He stated. "I know wherever we go will be safe."

Back at Bulk's house, they had all had dinner in relative silence, exchanging only a little conversation to catch up on basics. The whole situation was incredibly uncomfortable for all involved all things considered. After dinner, they made their way through to the Living Room, where Bulk poured Kim a glass of wine, handing it to her.

"Alright, so...let's talk about it." She finally said, taking a sip and placing the glass down.

"Mom..."

"Spike, you have to realise this doesn't look good." She told him. "First of all, I get a call telling me some stranger smacked you around the head with a shinai..."

"Serena was training us mom." Spike interrupted her. "She's a professional, she knows what she's doing, it was just an accident!"

"I seem to remember Tommy and Jason putting each other in hospital a couple of times." Bulk chipped in. "And I seem to remember something about someone not too far from here trying to practice the balance beam alone and ending up landing on her head."*

Spike smirked a little at this, but quickly wiped it off his face as Kimberly gave his uncle a less than amused look. He had heard the story from his dad; it was a little while before her transfer to the gymnastics institute in Florida.

"You're not helping." Kim said coldly.

"I wasn't trying to." Bulk told her honestly. "I was just putting it in perspective. No one's perfect."

"Then, your genius uncle here pretty much begs us into letting you go to a public school," she continued, brushing off the point and carrying on with her complaints, "and not even a week after you go back, I hear you're being lynched!"

"That wasn't Uncle Bulk's fault!" Spike protested. "I was the one that fought Brad, I was the one..."

"I'm not interested Spike!" Kim put down sharply. "We pulled you out of school for a reason. You were happy with home schooling. We did that for you!"

"I was running away!" Spike answered. "I don't...I don't want to spend my life running away from problems."

"Well running face-first into them seems to be working a treat." She said sarcastically. "I for one wasn't happy about this at all, but you have to admit that none of this looks good."

"Mom, I screwed up. I know I did." Spike told her. "You and dad have at times, Uncle Bulk has too, but you all kept telling me that making mistakes is a part of life. You make them and move on."

"Well this isn't exactly a small mistake now is it?" Kim asked him. "Spike, you're young, I was your age once, I know it's easy to make mistakes. I don't blame you."

"Then you blame Uncle Bulk?" He asked her. "But I made the mistake!"

"You only made the mistake because of the advice of others." She told him. "He was the one that sent you back into that hornets' nest, but even then, you've never tried to stand and fight before. You knew that fighting was a dumb idea, but then something about that changed recently didn't it?"

Spike suddenly realised what she was getting at.

"Serena?" He asked her incredulously. "You're blaming Serena?"

"Well since she got involved, you've ended up in hospital twice." Kim reminded him.

"Mom, she's training me!" He told her. "She isn't responsible for my decisions! You know more Martial Artists than I do, you were a freaking Power Ranger! You know that just training a person doesn't mean you're responsible for what they do with it!"

"If she hadn't gotten involved, you would never have fought him!" Kim snapped.

"Kim, he's right. Serena isn't to blame." Bulk told her. "She just taught him. She said everything you and the others always did. She told him a hundred times that fighting's always the last answer."

"Well she obviously didn't get the message through then." Kim told him. She just shook her head and sighed. "Spike, I'm upset you got hurt, but most of all I'm disappointed. I just want you to be safe and happy. We never raised you to get into trouble like this."

"I know." He sighed. He was disappointed in himself too, but not as much for his questionable judgement. There was still a part of him that believed he had done the right thing, even if he had defied Serena's explicit instructions. He was mostly upset that in his actions he had gotten his uncle and Serena into trouble with his parents. "You're taking me out of school aren't you?"

"Kim." Bulk interjected before he could answer. "You have to be tired after your journey, and you're always the one that says you should know everything before making a decision."

"You're not in much of a position..."

"Kim please, just...give it a couple of days." Bulk told her. "You can talk to Serena. You can see the school..."

"Bulk, I don't care about any of that!" She snapped.

"If you're so intent on doing what's right by Spike, don't you think you should see what you'd be taking him away from?" Bulk asked her. The whole room went silent, and the air seemed to drop in temperature considerably. Spike felt like his heart had stopped. This was a very dangerous gambit. His uncle had basically called Kim out on her assertion that she cared for him. Kimberly looked completely taken aback. He was sure that his uncle had made a huge mistake. Never mind being taken out of school, he was sure now she'd be taking him back altogether. "You and Skull did leave him with me for a reason. You knew you wouldn't be around for him as much as you wanted. That hasn't suddenly changed. Just see what he has here, and if you still think it's for the best, then I won't question your decision."

Spike just buried his face in his hands. He was sure he was packing his bags.

"Alright." Kim sighed. "I'm tired, I have a headache, and I just want a good nights' sleep." She told them, before looking to Spike. "I'll give it a chance, but if I don't like what I see, then you're packing your bags."

With that, she got up, kissed Spike on the cheek, and gave Bulk one last cold look, before leaving. Spike was only slightly relieved at this turn of events. He had a chance to convince Kimberly that he was safe here, but if he screwed up now, it would cost him more than just leaving. It would cost him his uncle. It would cost Bulk a friendship that had lasted more than thirty years.

"You should go to bed too." Bulk told him. "We've got a long couple of days ahead of us."

"What are you doing?" Spike asked him as he saw Bulk pulling out his cell phone.

"I'm calling Serena to warn her." He told him. "She's coming for training tomorrow. Don't you think she should know that she's going to be grilled by your step-mom?"

"I guess that's only fair." Spike agreed. "Goodnight Uncle Bulk."

"Goodnight Spike." Bulk replied as he started to dial.

**A/N: ***This is a reference to an incident that occurred in Kimberly's exit arc from the show. She was in Ernie's, he had given the keys and left her to practice alone.


	5. Things Can Only Get Better

Mentor Ji and Brenda were sitting in a coffee place a little way from her office. After ordering a couple of tall lattes and a couple of large blueberry muffins, they had taken a seat by the window. It was kind of late for coffee, which meant for the most part they had the place to themselves.

It was nice catching up. She shared her stories, while he shared the version of his stories he could tell her. He loved her company; it was something he had missed in their time apart.

"...So, the guy said to me 'they must be chocolate chips', to which I just handed him a couple and said 'would you like to eat them?'" Brenda concluded her story. Ji laughed hearing this. Even though many of her stories revolved around her job, something he had a feeling indicated that she didn't really have much outside of her work, he was always happy to see that she could find a way to make light of something as serious as dangerous health code violations.

"Well, I suppose that made your point." He commented.

"I've missed this you know." She told him. He looked at her curiously.

"But...I thought..."

"Ji, I was angry when we broke up." She told him. "The carnival, the way you were acting, to be honest, I hadn't signed on to be dating Conan."

"I can assure you I was not myself." He assured her. "I have also missed your company."

"I guess you've been pretty busy." She told him. "I've figured out what you were doing."

Ji just looked a little stunned. Did she actually know? He hadn't seen her since they had broken up, but he supposed he didn't really pay much attention to anything outside of his duties to the Shiba Clan. She brushed some hair back behind her ear and looked down.

"Your behaviour made it all kind of obvious." She told him. He just sighed.

"Brenda, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth." He conceded. "I should have..."

"I guess it is easy to see why you would keep that from me." She interrupted him. "I was angry when I left, but as I thought about it, I began thinking about a lot of things that had been said, things you did. A lot of things started to fall into place."

"So you figured it out?" He asked her. "I only did it..."

"I guess it's easy to see why you did, but none of us are getting any younger Ji." She told him. "I know you're older than me, but I didn't care. I liked you, not your muscles."

Ji just furrowed his brows. Now she had lost him.

"So what was it? Twelve steps?" She asked him.

"I don't..."

"Ji, you got very big very fast." She whispered, pulling in closer. "You were aggressive, moody, on edge. It is pretty obvious."

Ji was still completely baffled by what she meant. She held her right hand, placing the index and middle finger over her left elbow joint and pushed in her thumb, mimicking injecting.

"You were juicing weren't you?" She asked him. "A load of guys in the office go to the gym. I've seen it a few times."

Now he understood what she meant. In his youth, he had been somewhat wilder, and certainly had a much shorter fuse. He also spent a lot more time working out, and had significantly more muscle mass. When the Nighlock's spell had regressed him to his youth, he had regained those traits. Obviously, Brenda had interpreted it differently. She seemed to be under the impression he had been using steroids.

"I also remember you dying your hair." She giggled. He blushed a little hearing this. If he was honest, he could see how she might have thought it was a mid-life crisis gone out of control. He decided to just go with it. She had given him an out that he had never thought of.

"It had been a long time since I had dated." Ji stated. "I suppose I did just end up looking like a pathetic old man."

"You don't look so pathetic to me." She told him. "When we talked the other day, the way you look now...it reminds me of what I liked about you. Whatever you did, it seems like you have it licked."

"It took a while." Ji said humbly. "Brenda..."

"Ji, what I saw at the fair, I know that wasn't you." She told him. "But it's not something I can forget. I saw something in you that I really didn't like, and it's something I can live without. I can't just...this isn't us picking up where we left off."

She took his hand softly, and he smiled as he felt her hand in his.

"I've really missed you, and I want you in my life." She told him. "Maybe we can just hang out and see where it goes?"

"I would like that very much." He answered, clutching her hand. "You are a very kind and understanding woman. I could not hope for a better friend."

"Like I said, I didn't like that guy at the fair." She admitted. "If he's gone..."

"I don't think we'll ever see him again." Ji assured her. She just smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that." She replied, getting up and giving him her card, before placing a hand on his shoulder. "I really have missed this. I'm proud of you."

"That means a lot to me." He told her. "Perhaps you would like to have lunch with a friend some time?"

"That sounds nice." She stated, before leaving. Ji just leant back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head and smiled.

"I guess I do still have it." He said smugly to himself.

In the grounds of the Shiba House, Serena was busy reading the long and involved e-mail on her iPhone from Bulk, explaining the whole Kim situation. She knew it was likely that soon she would be coming to decide on what was happening with Spike, but now Bulk had given her the head's up on the situation. She was hanging around to see what was going on at the school, and she also wanted to meet Serena. Bulk had also explained about what Kim had said, that she basically blamed Serena for what had happened. She just groaned and shut the message.

"That's bloody typical." She complained.

"I guess this is a bad time?" She heard someone behind her say. Serena turned around, seeing Mia standing there.

"I guess you could say that." Serena told her. "Spike's step-mom is in town and wants to meet me."

"Really?" Mia asked, cringing a little to hear this. She didn't know much, but she had heard Serena say a little about what had been happening with her lessons with Spike. "Why?"

"She probably just wants to drop a house on me." Serena exhaled as she sat down on a bench. "Apparently, she's convinced I'm to blame for Spike deciding to take on the whole school single handed."

"She is a mom." Mia reminded her. "Are you really surprised she's looking for someone other than her kid to blame?"

"I guess not." Serena agreed. Why am I feeling like this isn't what you want to talk about?"

"Kevin and I have been talking." Mia told her. "We discussed it, and you're right. We really haven't been too sensitive recently."

"I was just frustrated." Serena assured her. "Please, don't..."

"Serena, you were right. We've kind of been floating around on our own little cloud." Mia confessed. "We were so wrapped up in ourselves, we haven't been thinking about others."

"Hey, it's a big thing. I get it." Serena told her. "I'm pretty sure when I..."

Mia cocked an eyebrow, something Serena noted. She had admitted something she really hadn't intended to.

"I..."

"Serena, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Mia told her.

"I just...I know Stephen and I have been pretty lovey dovey lately, but I just..." She shook her head.

"Take it from someone that knows. It's nothing to rush into." Mia told her.

"I have every intention of being safe." Serena told her.

"That's not what I meant." Mia told her. "You only ever have one first time. It's something you can only give once."

"Mia..."

"I gave it to the wrong person, and that's something I have to live with." Mia continued. "What I had with Kevin was amazing, but I really wish that I could have had what he had."

She smiled and pulled closer.

"To know that when that happened, it happened with someone that loved me as much as I love him." She told her. "You and Stephen, I can't say for sure what you have. All I know is, there's no race to the finish here."

"So, you and Kevin..."

"We're going to cool off on the whole bad Aussie soap opera thing." Mia told her. "At least in public. We have to appreciate that others don't necessarily want to see it."

"Look, I know what I said, and some of it was sour grapes..."

"It wasn't just you that made us decide." Mia admitted. "You have to be aware that there are others that kind of take us as role models."

"You mean a certain half-pint and her video-gaming skateboarding boyfriend?" Serena asked her. Mia nodded.

"It seems hypocritical of us to try and advise caution if we're throwing it to the wind ourselves." Mia told her. "They know what happened; it's too late to change that. But like I said, I really wish my first had been different. When it happens for them, I really want it to be something special."

"I do too." Serena stated, before suddenly getting a sour look on her face. "Alright, that's a mental image I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable with."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine with it when the first niece or nephew comes around." Mia teased her.

"No, no, no! That's not cool, she's..."

"Come play with us auntie Serena!" Mia continued. Serena put her fingers in her ears and ran away, with Mia in hot pursuit. She tackled Serena onto the couch, before starting to tickle her, causing her to laugh out loud.

As Mia was continuing, she suddenly stopped as a throw cushion collided with her head. Both she and Serena looked across, seeing Emily standing, holding a pillow.

"It looked fun." She told them. Serena and Mia just looked at each other, before each grabbing a pillow and scrambling to their feet, taking off after Emily as she took to heel.

"Come back here squirt!" Serena called out. "We're going to get you!"

The following day, Kimberly came down to the Living Room, despite the early hour. Jet lag had really done a number on her, and she had woken periodically at the most inopportune moments, and had finally given up altogether a little after 6 AM.

After taking a shower, taking care not to disturb Bulk or Spike, she had come down, and started the coffee maker. She was sure that with such an early start, she would need caffeine eventually.

She heard the door trigger, and she reached for the back of her jeans, but relaxed as she saw Spike enter, wearing sweat pants and a tank top. She rolled her eyes.

"Damn it Spike." She muttered. "What are you doing up?"

"I always get up early for a run." He told her. "What about you?"

"Jet lag." She responded, relaxing her stance. "I put on the coffee machine."

"I'll get breakfast on." Bulk yawned as he arrived in the room. "Go get washed up."

Spike did as he was told, leaving Kim alone with him. She came across, sitting at the kitchen counter.

"That wasn't for my benefit was it?" She asked him. Bulk shook his head.

"He takes the training thing very seriously." Bulk assured her. "He's been doing that for a while now."

"Since this Selena..."

"Serena." Bulk corrected her. "Yeah, since then, he's really got into it. He's actually now got some guns on those noodles he used to call arms."

"I noticed he got bigger." Kim told him. "I just wish he didn't have the attitude to go with it."

"He's still the same sweet kid we all love." Bulk assured her. "Besides, didn't you used to kick the butts of a certain couple of bullies all the time?"

"You and Skull were jokers." Kim sniggered, remembering back to those days long since past. "You weren't malicious or cruel like these guys."

"Maybe not, but it isn't like you can really say you never fought back." He reminded her.

"I guess not." Kim admitted. "I've already agreed to give things a fair hearing. Don't push your luck."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be me would I?" Bulk asked her with a little smile. "So, are you ready to see his school?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She commented. "But I'm really looking forward to meeting this Serena."

"I'm sure the feeling is mutual." Bulk said with a forced smile, grateful that at least he'd had the chance to warn her what to expect.


	6. Mommy is Watching

Spike got to school, with Kim in tow, but looking a little dejected. Although he loved her, there was something a little humiliating about being dropped off at school with his mommy.

Bulk drove off, leaving Spike and Kim to the chaos of the pre-school scrum. Kimberly just looked around, scrunching her nose.

"This isn't how I remember school." She commented. Just then, she felt a gentle poke in the ribs. She looked around, seeing a girl, a little shorter than her, with flaming red hair, and extensive dental braces.

"Mrs. Skullovitch?" She asked. "I'm...uh...I'm Vicky, one of Spike's friends."

"Pleased to meet you." Kim said a little coldly, shaking her hand more out of politeness than any real desire to meet Spike's friends. "So where is...?"

"Ah, Mr. Skullovitch, I trust you haven't been causing any more problems." Dr. Phelps drawled as he arrived. It was only as he faced them that he realised a certain mistake.

Kim was short. She always had been. Her growth had bottomed out at around 5' 1", back when she was about 16 years old. It meant that she was ideal for gymnastics, but it also had another factor. Without seeing her face, sometimes she was confused for a kid.

"Dr. Phelps I presume." Kim addressed the headmaster. "I'm Kimberly Skullovitch, Spike's mom."

"Oh...well...um..." He stammered as he tried to think of ways to recover the situation. "My office is just this way. Please."

"Someone's in trouble." Vicky whispered to Spike. He just smirked.

"You have no idea." He concluded. Even despite what was riding on this, he already knew his step-mother enough to know that Dr. Phelps had bitten off more than he could chew.

As they got in, Dr. Phelps gestured to one of two large, well-padded, leather easy chairs for Kim to sit in. She did so, but the way she sat with her legs and arms crossed already showed that she was ready for a fight. Dr. Phelps sat on the opposite side of his desk, with his chair a little higher than her, a subtle psychological thing that was lost on most school kids, just to make a point. Spike also sat down.

"I believed I had already dealt with this issue." He told her. "I sent an e-mail to..."

"You can explain it to me." Kim interrupted him, tensing up. Spike looked nervously between the two.

"There was an incident between your step..."

"My son!" She barked, interjecting. "He's my son!"

"Mrs..."

"I've helped raise him since he was crawling; he's my son in every way that counts." Kimberly continued. Dr. Phelps just nodded.

"I have no evidence of what happened, otherwise..."

"Your school has no security?" Kim snapped. She reached into the back of her jeans, and slapped a Berretta on the desk. Dr. Phelps recoiled in horror.

"Mrs..."

"I was a SWAT sniper for ten years.* I have a licence to bring this through security, but not ONE person has thought to stop me and ask!"

"Mrs..."

"What cameras do you have?" She asked.

"None in the area they fought." Dr. Phelps stated. "Everyone tells me your son challenged Brad..."

"Alright, who's Brad?" She asked. Spike had to try hard not to smile. The Ranger thing had a pronounced effect on people. Many of the former Rangers had ended up as either cops or military out of a certain sense of duty to justice and liberty. Once Kim had retired from Gymnastics at 16, she had gone into the Police Service, eventually ending up on SWAT detail. He knew she was interrogating Dr. Phelps, having decided he was worth grilling.

"Brad is the quarterback of our football team..."

"How old is he?" Kim snapped.

"He's a senior." Dr. Phelps stammered out. "I believe he turned 18..."

"So you're trying to say that my 98 pound, five foot seven, fifteen year old stepson picked a fight with a kid three years older than him and probably twice his size?" Kim put down coldly. Dr. Phelps just recoiled in horror.

"Mrs. Skullovitch..."

"Have you seen the state he ended up in?" Kim interrupted him sharply. "Your football team tried to kick a fifty yard field goal with his skull!"

"Mrs. Skullovitch..."

"I think I have a grasp on things here thank you." She replied before he could answer. "I was a cop. I have friends. Don't think this is the last you'll hear of this."

She picked up the gun from his desk and slid the magazine back into the handle, before placing in the back of her jeans.

"That's mine I believe." She told him. "Good day Dr. Phelps."

Spike was almost bouncing as they left. Dr. Phelps had already gotten off on the wrong foot, and inadvertently disparaged him in front of Kim. She was at least with him on that front.

Serena was sitting in a room, reading some books as she tried to figure out a lesson plan for what she was going to teach Bulk and Spike that day. Normally, she left it to her own judgement, but since Bulk had e-mailed her and warned her that Kim was already blaming her for Spike's behaviour, and sceptical of what kind of influence she was on him, she wanted to make sure she was prepared.

Mentor Ji tapped her on the head with some papers to rouse her attention and handed them to her.

"Confirmation of your status as a licensed Martial Arts instructor." He told her.

"But I..."

"You forget I have many friends." Ji told her. "I know you are far more qualified than many who would dub themselves 'sensei', were I not, I would have stopped these lessons long before now."

"Thanks." Serena replied, taking the documents. "But Spike said she was a cop, so no doubt she's probably already done a background..."

"Believe me; these documents would pass the President." He chuckled. "You're really nervous aren't you?"

"Well, the only time I've spoken to the woman she did threaten to cave my skull in with a shinai." Serena told him. "I get the impression she's more than a little over protective."

"Well, you did hurt her little boy." Ji sighed. "I remember one time I took Jayden to the park and another boy shoved him off the climbing frame."

"You didn't..."

"No, I did not." Ji confirmed. "Though when I explained what happened to the child's father, that conversation was not far from turning ugly."

"I guess parents are always like that where their kids are concerned." Serena commented.

"Though if I could make a recommendation, a headguard may be a good idea." He teased her. Serena just rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Ji, that's a big help." She replied sarcastically with a small laugh.

Over at the school, Spike got to the cafeteria, finding Kimberly talking to some of the staff there. He almost died of embarrassment right there. Even though he had said she could see the school, he had no idea she'd hang around. He thought she'd just drop him off, maybe talk to a teacher or two, and leave. Vicky waved him over to their table. Mal and Jimmy were also there, though Mal moved up a little as Spike sat down. He was obviously better, but still not ready to just forgive Spike for his part in what happened.

"Your step-mom's pretty intense." Vicky commented. "She was here grilling the canteen staff when I arrived."

"Don't tell me, I have a feeling I don't want to know." Spike murmured. "Why is she still here?"

Just then, he was shoved forward, face-first into his lunch. He looked up, seeing Justin behind him, with a few of the other guys laughing. He had no way of proving who had done it, and even if he did know, they would all just vouch for each other.

"Didn't your mommy teach you how to eat?" Justin teased him to a chorus of laughs. Spike just turned back to his lunch, trying to ignore him. "Hey, I'm talking to you kid!"

"Is there a problem here?" Kim asked. The football team just looked around each other in confusion.

"Who are you?" Justin asked.

"Who I am isn't important." Kim growled. "You'll move along if you know what's good for you."

"Mom..." Spike muttered, hiding his face in embarrassment. A grin flashed across Justin's face at this. Clearly he had heard him.

"This is your mom?" Justin asked, pointing to Kim. "You hear that guys? Little Spike has his mommy fighting his battles for him!"

"You made your point Justin, just go!" Vicky screamed. He just laughed at her and eyed her up and down.

"I'll decide when I've made my point." He told her, before turning back to Kim. "Say, your mom's pretty hot Spike. Why'd you never..."

"I'm married." Kim told him. "Even if I wasn't, I generally look for something a little higher on the evolutionary scale. Beat it!"

Justin and the rest of the football team just left, at which Spike got up and turned around, walking away.

"Spike..."

"I'll go." Vicky told her, getting up and running after him. Kim looked around and saw that the whole canteen was staring at them and immediately felt like kicking herself. She knew what High School could be like, kids were cruel. She had only intended to help Spike when she saw Justin shove him, but now she realised all she had done was make him look weak. All she had succeeded in doing was making things worse.

At their table though, Justin was just sitting down, and made a note as he saw Vicky running after him, smirking as he got an idea.

The rest of the day seemed to drag by endlessly, but as the final bell rang, Spike was only too thankful as he gathered his things. Kids had been sniggering about the incident in the canteen all day. He got to the door, finding Kim waiting for him. He was conflicted as to whether he should be thanking her or cursing her for showing up. He was thankful because he was sure with her there, no one would try anything as he left, but on the other hand, it only reinforced the image of him as a mommy's boy. Vicky flashed a hand signal Spike's way to indicate that she wanted him to call her, and he just nodded in response.

"Vicky seems nice." Kim commented as she flagged down a cab. Spike just sighed.

"Mom..."

"Look, I know I shouldn't have gotten involved in the canteen." Kimberly told him after telling the cab driver where they were going. "I'm sorry..."

"For what? For making me look like a complete loser?" Spike grumbled.

"Spike..."

"I guess it doesn't matter. You're probably taking me away anyway..."

"I know I messed up, but I do NOT appreciate being spoken to like that!" Kimberly snapped, looking at him harshly. She then breathed a sigh and put an arm around him. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like."

"I just want to go home." Spike whined. "Serena will be waiting."

Kim looked to him regretfully, before fastening her seatbelt. She had made a big mistake, and she knew it. She could only imagine how embarrassing it was for Spike.

Serena arrived at Bulk's house, finding him setting up some training equipment in the yard. She dropped her bag and started to tie back her hair.

"So where is she?" Serena asked.

"I guess you mean Kimberly." Bulk replied. "I don't know. She said she wanted to do her own thing after I dropped Spike at school."

Just then, the cab arrived, and Spike made his way to the house to get changed as Kimberly paid the cab driver. Serena was a little surprised to see Kim, given how worried Spike and Bulk were about her visit; she was expecting someone seven feet tall and built like She-hulk. The dark-haired woman approaching her was actually smaller than her. She gave her a smile and extended a hand for a handshake.

"Mrs. Skullovitch?" Serena began. "I'm Serena."

"We've spoken." Kim said coldly, remembering the short, less than friendly exchange they'd had on the phone. She folded her arms, refusing Serena's hand and looked at her with an expression that could freeze the strongest of hearts.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Serena said sheepishly, remembering the time she had put Spike in the hospital by mistake. "I guess even the best of us have accidents now and then."

"A black eye is an accident." Kim replied as she took off her jacket and began stretching off.

"Mrs. Skullovitch?" Serena said quizzically as Bulk looked on, more than a little worried. Kim pulled out her gun and took out the magazine, before putting it aside, and picked up a shinai.

"You don't mind one more student do you?" Kimberly asked. "I mean, you are a professional."

"Uh...alright." Serena replied as Spike arrived in his training gear. He saw Kim holding the shinai and his face slipped.

"Kimberly will be joining us today." Serena confirmed. "Alright, let's warm up."

As they got onto the mats and started some warm-up exercises, none of them noticed a nearby gap starting to glow.

**A/N: ***Shameless actor allusion! Anyone that gets the reference will know why.


	7. Unwanted Attention

**A/N: **Sorry about the hiatus folks, crazy times here. I'm compiling some thoughts on how exactly I intend to wrap this up in time for the new season beginning next week. While I have your attention though, I thought I'd give you all some fair warning.

Residing outside the US, I have mainly been relying on streamed video from the internet for my access to episodes. As many of you know, there have been a lot of efforts to chase down these recordings and delete them, even more so than normal. Just rest assured, that I still writing, and I do have every intention of following the season and posting my own version of it, just...don't be surprised if it may take me a little while longer than expected.

In the Netherworld, Master Xandred was sitting, quaffing excessively huge quantities of medicine, even more than usual. He had been amassing power for a while, attempting to recover from the significant loss of resourced he had suffered as a result of his defeat at the hands of the combined efforts of the Samurai and RPM Rangers. The loss of General Gut and his personally trained Moogers had been quite a blow. In hindsight, lending them to Professor Cog had been a mistake. Sending them prematurely against the Rangers when they had the back-up of the RPM team had led to them being destroyed. The only saving grace was that Professor Cog had saved him the effort and gotten himself destroyed in the battle.

Now though, the Rangers had consolidated their position. They had used the time that Xandred had been out of commission to recover and increase their own power. They now had a new Black Ranger in the form of their mentor, something that the Samurai had not had for centuries, and after the failure of Octoroo's plan to acquire the Black Box, he was sure that they were closer than ever to uncovering its secrets.

He now knew that if he didn't strike soon, that he was going to lose the opportunity to keep them from strengthening their position further. His own power continued to grow, and his Nighlock were getting stronger, but he still needed something of significant power to break the deadlock, and prevent the Rangers getting the strength edge they needed. He had sent many of his forces in search of the only Nighlock he could think of that had proven to be strong enough to contend with the Rangers and send them scattering.

"That damned Arachnitor." He growled as he rubbed his forehead with a pained expression on his face. "What hole did he crawl into?"

He had mutated the treacherous Nighlock with his excess power, increasing his already formidable strength, and simultaneously turning him into a mindless beast. It had meant that he was easier to deal with; he simply pointed him at the Rangers and unleashed him. Unfortunately, it also meant that he was uncontrollable. Once the Nighlock had disappeared from battle, he had all but disappeared. Occasionally there would be a sighting of him, but other than that, Arachnitor had pretty much just gone to ground on his own uncontrolled rampage.

"I keep telling you, we're doing all we can to locate him." Octoroo told him, standing in a corner.

"All you can eh?" Xandred growled. "I suppose that's why you're spending all your time watching that Gap?"

"It is important, I assure you Master." He replied. "I have seen something of some interest."

Xandred strode across and shoved Octoroo out the way, staring through the gap. He backed up, glaring at Octoroo.

"This is vital?" He asked him.

"I'm keeping an eye on..."

"You're watching the other Earth Samurai training those two idiots!" He bellowed.

"But sire, I'm observing..."

"I know exactly what you're observing!" He interrupted Octoroo harshly. "I do not keep you around to allow you to be a voyeur noodle-face!"

"Sire, you don't understand." Octoroo implored him. "I think this is something you may find of interest. I sensed a great source of residual power entering the city a couple of days ago."

"I sensed that too." Xandred commented.

"Well, I believe I may have found the source." Octoroo told him. "Just watch this."

Xandred returned to the gap and watched on.

Back at Bulk and Spike's place, they were finishing up by sparring. Serena had spent some time with both Spike and bulk. She had pushed Spike hard, trying to showcase the best of his abilities. All things considered, the kid was progressing well, and she wanted to show Kimberly that her lessons were far from those of a well-intentioned amateur. Although she was reluctant to do so, Serena had agreed to finish up by sparring with Kimberly. She only did so after Spike and Bulk had both assured her that Kimberly had trained under both Tommy Oliver, and Jason Lee Scott, names well known in the Martial Arts game years ago.

She had to admit being impressed. Kimberly's style was indeed unique, completely unlike anything she had ever seen. Despite being older, she moved incredibly quickly, so fast that Serena was sure she'd give Antonio a run for his money. Her swordsmanship was largely rudimentary; her technique with the sword being far from fancy, but it was backed up by an acrobatic and flamboyant attack form that meant Serena hardly ever knew where the next strike was coming from.

She managed to parry another couple of blows, before they spun away from each other. She finally held up a hand, indicating that it was time to stop. She was sure that Kimberly didn't want to spend all her time in town attacking her with a shinai.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today." Serena told them.

"Serena, we've got some great sweet and sour." Bulk told her. "You're welcome to join us if you like."

"I'd..."

"I'm sure you'd love to." Kimberly interrupted her. "It'll give us time to discuss where you learned all this."

"Um...alright I guess." She replied a little nervously. "Stephen's working late at the Apple store, so I guess I don't need to hurry back."

"I'll just get cleaned up." Spike told her, before running off. Bulk gathered up the equipment, pulling it back inside to get started on dinner, leaving Kimberly with Serena. The former Yellow Samurai took a long drink from a bottle of water as Kimberly approached her.

"Well, I have to admit that I'm surprised." Kimberly told her. "You're good, probably as good as Tommy."

"Thanks." Serena answered with a little bit of a smile. She was studying palaeontology online under Tommy Oliver, and he along with Hayley had helped her in her quest to retrieve Kasamune. She knew all about his past as a Ranger. "I've been training since I was a kid."

"Well, in my experience just about any time a Ranger team shows up, every two-bit nobody who thinks they know Martial Arts starts taking money for lessons." Kimberly told her.

"Yeah, I've heard hospital admissions go up whenever a Ranger team shows up." Serena told her, pulling out the fake certificates that Ji had prepared for her, and handing them to Kimberly. "I can assure you I'm qualified. I don't blame you for being nervous; I've seen some pretty questionable teachers around town."

She started so shift a little.

"You mentioned you trained under Tommy Oliver." Serena commented.

"I did a lot more than that." Kimberly commented. "We dated at one time."

"Well, he's teaching my online palaeontology course." Serena informed her. "I've talked to him a few times."

"Well, that's a nice little coincidence." Kimberly stated, before looking to Serena. "Look, I can see you're good."

"You are too." Serena replied.

"Thanks." Kimberly put down. "Look, I'm just worried about Spike. He's never done anything like this before."

"To be honest, I kind of think he isn't used to having friends." Serena commented. Kimberly just looked at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kimberly asked coldly, crossing her arms. Serena realised that it had to sound a little like a shot.

"He...kind of explained what it was about." Serena told her. "He has some friends at school..."

"I've met them." Kimberly interrupted her.

"Well, he said that they're kind of...well...to put it delicately, they're kind of the school's favourite targets." She stammered. "He said that he kind of got fed up watching them getting picked on. What he did...he did to make a point and get the bigger kids to leave them alone."

"And I guess you're suggesting that's my fault?" Kimberly asked her. Serena had to admit that in some ways it did sound like a shot at Kimberly. If she was entirely honest, she had to admit that a part of her kind of admired Spike's motives if not his methods. There was also a part of her that did believe that Kim should shoulder at least some of the blame. Mal, Jimmy and Vicky were the first real friends he'd had in years, it was only natural that he wanted to help them, but he just didn't know how.

"No, Spike's mistakes are his own." Serena said semi-truthfully. "I guess I'm just saying...well...have you ever had a group of friends that you were so close to that you'd do anything for them? Even if you knew it was wrong?"

"I guess when I was his age, I did have a group." Kimberly mumbled. "And I guess going to his school had to have been pretty humiliating for him."

"Look, I know you don't like the thought of him being bullied, but do you maybe think this is just something that he should face?" Serena asked her.

"What? It's a natural part of growing up?" Kim asked her coldly. "Let me guess, you were the alpha bitch at your school."

"Actually my little sister went through a lot of the stuff Spike did." Serena corrected her. "I spent a lot of time sorting out her problems for her, but I couldn't do that forever. Eventually she stood up for herself, now she's stronger than even I am. Not that I'd ever tell her that of course."

"I guess not." Kimberly responded. "I know it's probably not your fault. I just...I want to do what's best for Spike."

"I know you do." Serena replied. "I guess it's natural to not want to see the ones we love hurt. But if you just wrap them in cotton wool..."

"They never learn to take care of themselves." Kim sighed. "I guess it's too much to hope for that everyone he meets is going to be nice to him."

"You know, Bulk's cooking is pretty good." Serena told her. "And he should be pretty close to being ready."

"I guess so." Kimberly replied. "I hate to admit it, but I can see why that restaurant was a success."

"So, you knew Dr. Oliver from back in the day?" Serena asked her. "So what was he like?"

"Boy, could I tell you some stories." Kimberly responded with a little smile. She wasn't entirely convinced that Serena was telling her everything, but she had to admit having gained a certain respect for her after the match.

Back in the Netherworld, Master Xandred pulled away from the gap, looking back to Octoroo.

"This new woman, she is the source of this energy?" He asked as his tactical advisor rummaged through some books.

"I believe so." Octoroo told him. "Damn it, I know I've seen something like this before."

"The power, it seems shielded or faded somehow." Xandred responded. "We have seen that she was a match for the Earth Samurai."

"Despite her age." Octoroo added. "Those humans do have such fleeting lives."

"Indeed they do." Xandred stated. Octoroo then pulled up a book and his tentacles started to twitch excitedly.

"Ha, I knew we had felt something like this!" He screamed. "We were still sealed away, but I remember it now!"

"What is it?" Xandred asked him. Octoroo showed him a sketch book.

"Someone harnessed the energy of the ninjetti." He reminded him. Xandred smirked.

"Ninjor." He replied. "Hearing that he was gone was the best news I heard in centuries."

"Well, it seems that those with the power of the ninjetti, it was connected to their life force." Octoroo told him. "While the bulk of the powers were lost to the ages, it seems that traces of it still exist."

"Well, that does give me an interesting idea." Xandred replied. "Say what you will about her nature, Dayu was a dangerous warrior. When she left, she did reduce our forces. Perhaps it is time to think towards her replacement."


	8. Spike's Nightmare

Time, they said, heals all wounds. Right now, Spike was not so sure. There was a lot of things he had done in his life he wasn't proud of, but right now, he had to think that any failure in his life paled in comparison to this.

He was at the airport, his cases in hands, with Kim a little way off. She had made her decision; there was no place for him here. He was going to be home-schooled by his mom and dad.

It had never really troubled him before, when his mom had first suggested that he could be schooled at home, and never again have to face the savages that made his life a living hell, he had been all too keen to sign up, but now he felt like this was a terrible thing. He didn't know what it was about his time with his uncle that made him think about things, but he supposed that a lot of it was hearing him talk about his own time in High School.

He was diplomatic, for the most part, but Spike always knew the way around that. Every now and then, when his uncle had been having a good day, and had a beer or two too many, he started to become exceptionally honest. Spike liked that side of him, not only because it was funny to hear about some of the stupid crap his uncle and his dad got up to, but because it made him see something in both of them that they were always reluctant to show him. They were assholes. There was a time they were mean, spiteful, and downright unpleasant, something his father had neglected to mention, but it showed him something else. They changed.

He knew when he took Brad on in the first place that it was as much an exercise of ego as anything else. He would never admit it, especially to Serena, who had already threatened to cut off his lessons, but a part of him wanted to take on Brad. He knew that he could take him. He had no doubt; all he wanted was to humiliate him. He wanted to take his crown.

He had foregone the higher thinking that Serena, his uncle, everyone had always taught him. He had reverted to pack mentality. He took on the Alpha Male, to become him, hoping that would solve everything. There was only one factor he hadn't counted on. He was a human, and...as much as many may have differed...so were Brad's running buddies. They didn't just see the strong pack leader and immediately submit. They had a much more complicated mindset. They knew that Spike posed no threat to them as a group and that they could and would break him, leaving them in control. If anything, he had only made things worse, because now that the bullies knew that they would have trouble taking him one on one, they would not do so. He would have to deal with the pack as a whole, and more importantly, they would target his friends as a way to get to him.

As Kim came back, handing him his boarding pass, he felt everything turn colder and darker. The airport faded into nothing, and he could see his uncle walking away through the gate, knowing that this was the last time he would see him.

He was gently shaken awake, and looked up, seeing Kim sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Hey, it's time for school." She told him. Spike just blinked and rubbed his eyes. "I made some toast. You need to get a move on if you don't want to be late."

Kim left, giving him some privacy to get changed. He was still waiting on her final decision, she had promised him that she wasn't going to make a choice until the weekend, but he still dreaded her decision. He had only been back a little over a week, and in that time, he had experienced enough that no one would blame him for taking the easy road out, but he just couldn't imagine leaving.

As he got downstairs, Kim handed him a plate of toast, at which he noticed the clock. He furrowed his brows.

"There's ages until school." He commented. Kim just smiled.

"Not if you're walking." She replied. Spike just looked to her in surprise. "I figured after the scene I caused yesterday, you might prefer to be on your own."

"Really?" He asked her. Kim just nodded.

"I know I didn't help matters much with that football kid, and I'm sorry about that." She told him. "Besides, your uncle was going to show me around the town, let me see some what its like."

Spike just took some toast and picked up his school bag, making his way out the door on his way to the school. Bulk just smiled as he looked to Kim.

"So what's with the change of heart?" He asked her. Kim just shrugged. "Serena had an effect on you didn't she?"

"I just had a long think about some of the stuff she said." Kim admitted. "I'm still not convinced, but I guess I need to give him some space."

"Well, when you have someone hovering over your shoulder waiting on you to make a mistake..."

"It makes it kind of inevitable." Kim interrupted him. "I guess it is a lot of pressure."

"So, what would you like to see first?" Bulk asked her.

"I heard there's a nice temple in town." Kim told him.

"I'll take you after breakfast." He replied with a little smile. He knew that Kim still hadn't made her decision, but things were starting to look up a little for him and Spike. She seemed to at least be considering what he had here. He just hoped nothing would happen that would change that.

In the Netherworld, Xandred was drinking more medicine when Octoroo came in, bounding excitedly.

"Master, Arachnitor's been sighted!" He called out. Xandred got to his feet, clutching his sword.

"Where?" He asked.

"He was last seen heading for the Dagger Mountains." Octoroo told him. "My spies said he was seen there not even twenty minutes ago!"

"Then I guess I need to move quickly." Xandred told him. "In the meantime, I will leave you to take care of our other little project."

"Forgive me sire, but if we do catch her, what exactly do you want us to do?" He asked his master. Xandred just gave him an evil smirk and snapped his fingers, at which a couple of Moogers carried a heavy, iron-bound chest into the room. Octoroo just looked at it in horror. "Is that...?"

"Take as many Moogers as you need." Xandred told him. "I need to take care of a spider."

Over at the Shiba House, Stephen had a day off from his job at the apple store, and so was spending his time trying to help Antonio with the Black Box. The Gold Ranger had become obsessed with trying to unlock it ever since they had seen it in action in the alternate dimension. He had locked himself away in the dojo, which he had made into something of a make-shift tech lab for days, spending every waking moment he wasn't training trying to work with it.

He was running himself ragged trying to figure it out. He could tell they were close, now they had finally programmed all the symbol powers into it, he was sure that it had enough power to operate, it was now just a case of getting the synchronisation right, but it continued to elude him.

Stephen tapped a few keys, and straightened out his glasses.

"Alright, try that." He told Antonio. The Gold Ranger pressed a couple of buttons on his morpher, sending out a beam. The box started to react, glowing, and Antonio could feel it starting to come to life. Just then though, it started to spark violently, and the beam broke off. A huge jolt of energy surged up his arm, causing him to recoil in pain.

"Damn it!" Antonio yelled. "We need to..."

"Antonio, maybe we need to take a break." Stephen suggested.

"We need to get this to work!" Antonio blurted out. "The Nighlock are getting stronger, you know they are!"

"I know, I get it, really I do, but we're dealing with a lot of power here." Stephen reminded him. "These readings we're getting, if we don't proceed carefully..."

"Maybe we're being too careful." Antonio stated. "If we go too slowly, we may be too late!"

"But if we don't do this right, then we could destroy it, and ourselves with it and all this will be for nothing anyway." He reiterated. "Now, we've been at this for hours. I doubt taking a few minutes break will help us clear our heads."

Antonio put his morpher away, and reluctantly nodded his head.

"I guess we're not making much progress right now." He agreed. "I could do with some eats anyway."

"Hey, we've managed to get this far." Stephen told him. "We're close, I know it."

"Not close enough though." Antonio sighed. "I just hope for everyone's sake, we figure it out in time."

Over in the Netherworld, Master Xandred arrived at the rocky plain just at the foot of the Dagger Mountains. He gripped he gripped his sword tightly as he started to look around.

He sensed Arachnitor's energy, and knew that he was close. As a result of his mutation, Arachnitor was now little more than a mindless monster. He had managed to keep track of him largely through accounts of random attacks on other Nighlock. As powerful as he was, Xandred knew he had to tread carefully.

He heard some rocks shifting from behind some boulders a little way off, and drew his sword, getting ready for action. He started to round it slowly, finding the remains of numerous Moogers and Nighlock strewn around, covered in webbing. As he made his way through, he could see that one or two were indeed still alive, simply trapped in the webbing, stored for a later meal.

He was getting close.

Coming to the end of the school day, Kim and Bulk went to the school to pick up Spike at the end of the day. Although Kim hadn't gone back, leaving Spike to his own devices, she still wanted to see him home at the end of the day.

He seemed a lot happier to see her today. Although she was sure he'd probably still be getting a rough time as a result of her interference the previous day, it looked like things had not been too bad.

"Hey Spike." Kim greeted him, moving to hug him, but managing to stop herself. She looked to Bulk and cleared her throat, to let him know that she had remembered their earlier talks about drawing attention. She backed off. "So, how was your day?"

"It was pretty good." He told her. "I have a ton of home work, but other than that..."

Just then, Mal ran over to them, shoving Bulk aside in his hurry as he approached Spike.

"Spike..."

"Mal?" Spike asked him, noting that his clothes were messed up, and his bag was missing.

"Spike, listen to me." He told him. "Justin got a hold of me. He told me to tell you to meet him on the football field."

"Yeah, cause that'll happen." Spike said sarcastically. Mal only then noticed Kim and Bulk. "Never mind them. If Justin thinks I'm dumb enough to..."

"Spike, he grabbed us just after last period." Mal told him.

"Us?" Spike asked. "You mean he took Jimmy?"

"No." He replied, before looking to his feet. "He took Vicky."

"And you just let him!" Spike screamed. "You spineless...!"

"The whole team was there, I couldn't do anything!" He protested. "He said to come alone..."

"Yeah, because that'll happen." Kimberly added. "Come on!"

Meanwhile, on the football field, the team were standing around in a circle, cheering on the "entertainment" as they waited for Spike. Justin and a couple of the other guys would let Vicky run, only to shove her back into the circle, and hold her. Justin approached her.

"You know, you're not too bad looking in a dorky kind of way." He told her as one of the other guys held her. "I guess if you cleaned up a little, and I was kind of loaded...oh GOD I can't say that with a straight face!"

The team continued to laugh as she struggled to get free. Brad stepped out of the circle.

"Justin, leave her alone!" The quarterback told him.

"I think you're forgetting that you're not giving the orders anymore." Justin told him.

"You want the kid; I get that, but for God's sake let her go!" Brad told him. "This isn't right!"

"Wow, are you kidding me?" He asked. "What is it? Have you developed a sudden geek fetish? Or are you just into kids?"

"It's nothing like that Justin." Brad told him. "Leave her alone!"

Justin grabbed her, and held her to him. Vicky whimpered in fear as she realised she was helpless to stop him. Justin just laughed.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" He asked. Brad ran for him, looking to tackle him, at which Brad threw her into another couple of the guys, and dodged aside, slamming a fist into Brad's face. He took him down, and mounted him, repeatedly smashing fists into the former quarterback's face mercilessly.

He then found himself grabbed roughly from behind and launched backwards, and looked up to see Bulk standing over Brad's prone body. Kim, Spike and Mal were there too. Kim had her camera phone out, and was recording everything.

"Let the girl go." Kim told them.

"We were just..."

"Don't even bother, I was a cop." Kimberly told them. "I may not have been a cop in this city, but trust me, the word of a cop still carries a lot of weight. Between my statement and this video, I doubt they'll be too quick to believe any of you."

"Let her go Justin." Spike warned him as Bulk helped Brad back to his feet. He could see that the former quarterback was in no state to leave under his own power, and he doubted the football team would help him to a doctor. Justin just sighed and gestured to his friends. As they let her go, she ran to Spike's side, wrapping her arms around him. He couldn't help feeling angry, but he would not be fooled into doing something stupid this time.

"If I hear anything like this happens again, this video is going straight to..."

"What do you think the coach is going to do?" Justin asked her.

"I was going to say the education department." Kimberly warned him. "It's clear your administration is full of idiots, but even they have bosses. I doubt any of you will come out looking too good if there's an investigation."

As they turned and started to walk away, Justin clenched his fists.

"Yeah, that's right, you see that guys? Little Spike has to let his mommy fight all his battles for him!" Justin screamed. "I knew you wouldn't have the guts to settle this yourself."

"Twenty to one isn't brave, it's stupid." Spike replied. "If you think I'm giving you the satisfaction..."

"You're real brave when your mommy's here aren't you?" Justin asked him.

"Just like you're real brave when you have all your buddies with you." Spike interrupted him. "Of course, the difference is, I actually can take on my problems one on one. I just know there's better ways to do things."

As they started to walk away again, Justin looked to the others, who were all looking more than a little worried. He knew he was losing them.

"Hey red! Maybe some time we can finish what we started." He suggested. Vicky looked back with tears in her eyes. "I mean, you're not my usual type, but I guess I could give you a little second base action!"

Spike stopped still as he heard this. He looked to Vicky who just shook her head. He knew why she was scared, and while he was sure they hadn't had any intention of going further, it was clear how they had manhandled her. He just looked to Kimberly.

"Mom, I need to do this." He told her.

"Spike..."

"He's a psycho mom, this is all he understands." Spike told her. "If I don't do this, he's just going to keep coming back again and again."

"Spike..."

"If I don't do this now, I'll never be able to hold my head up in here again." Spike told her. She just nodded.

"I know." She agreed. "Sometimes it is the only solution. Just...be careful."

Spike threw down his bag and turned to face Justin.

"Alright, you want me so bad? Let's see how tough you really are." Spike told him. "Just you!"

"Yeah, it's easy for you to say..."

"I won't interfere if none of you do." Kim put down flatly, holding up the camera phone. "Just remember. If anyone but you jumps in, I still have this."

Taking off his jacket, Spike adopted a guard and started to bounce on the balls of his feet.

"So, how about it Justin?" He asked. Justin looked around as he realised the situation he was now in. The team was looking to him for leadership. They were all terrified that Kim would carry out her threat and turn them all in. Now, he only had two choices. Accept defeat and have his friends think him a coward, or stand alone against Spike, who had already defeated one senior in a straight fight.

"I win, and the video's gone." Justin declared.

"You have my word." Spike told him. Justin raised his fists.

"Your funeral I guess." He replied as the football team all started to cheer him on.


	9. Spike Vs Justin

Spike was starting to realise why Justin had risen to prominence in the school as he dodged a few attacks. Despite his huge size, he was alarmingly quick on his feet, something he was sure had led to his position as the half back on the team. He had only barely managed to keep at arm's length from his massive swings.

He started by scoring a hard kick to Justin's side, but he caught only his arm, inflicting relatively minor damage. Indeed, Justin almost seemed to just shrug it off with barely any notice. As he landed another, Justin rushed in, shoving him to the ground. Fortunately, Justin was much too interested in showing off to his friends to press the advantage, allowing Spike to scramble to his feet.

"You can do it Spike." Bulk called out. "Just keep your head on straight. Don't worry about what these jokers are saying, just focus!"

Spike knew he was on his own. Bulk and Kim wouldn't interfere if the football players didn't, something that was just as well since even with their help, the team would still outnumber them. The only thing stopping them was the fear that Kim would carry out her threat and show the video she had taken to the police, or the education department. He was on his own against Justin, but now he was starting to worry about his chances.

He launched himself in, throwing a few punches, which Justin managed to absorb, scoring only a couple that seemed to do any harm at all. Ha tried to move out again, but found himself caught, and realised that Justin had grabbed him. He realised that he was in trouble.

Justin's punch lifted him clean off his feet, and knocked all the air out of his chest. The next one felt like a sledgehammer. By the time he hit the ground and stopped tumbling, what seemed like hours later, he tried to regain his bearings. His vision was a little blurry, and the sound seemed distorted and a little tinny.

"Spike!" Vicky screamed, trying to make her way to his side. Kim held her, stopping her from going to him. She wanted to intervene as well, but she knew that as soon as they did, the team would as well.

"Spike, get up!" She screamed at him. She could see that he was hurt, it killed her to watch, but she knew he had to see it through. "You're not done yet, get up!"

He made his way shakily to his feet, and shook s many of the cobwebs free as he could as Justin continued to take adulation from the team. He had to concentrate to regain his senses, and as he did so, he could hear Serena's voice speaking to him in his mind, recalling his lessons from her.

Justin was much bigger than him. His strength was incredible, and having already absorbed a couple of shots, Spike knew that he couldn't afford to take much more. His size also gave him a distinct advantage, he barely moved, and seemed to shrug off most of Spike's attacks.

"_When an opponent's significantly bigger than you, the key is balance and technique!_" Serena had told him once as she had Bulk attack her. In a move that was almost too quick for Spike to see, he was flat on the floor with Serena kneeling on his chest. "_Get your opponent off balance, and his own body becomes a weapon against him._"

He managed to recover in time to see Justin almost right on top of him. As the football player reached to grab him, Spike took his arm and twisted around, taking him over and launching him face-first into the dirt. Mal let out a whoop of joy seeing the first signs of Spike getting in some meaningful offence. As Justin got up, wiping some mud and grass from his face, Spike could see his expression of rage. His face was turning red.

"_Technique is vitally important. With good technique, you can beat an unskilled opponent no matter how much stronger they are._" He recalled Serena once telling him. She pie-faced him away, at which Spike ran at her with a head full of steam. Before he knew what was happening, she had him wrapped in a painful choke. "_The surest way to take your opponent's technique out of the equation is to take his head out the game. Pissing the guy off is a pretty effective way to do that._"

As Justin came at him again, Spike moved aside, slapping the back of his head hard. Seeing him falter, he saw an opening and started to kick into Justin's thigh as hard as he could with vicious kicks.

"_The thigh carries most of a person's weight, and is a relatively soft target._" Serena had told him. "_Take the guy's leg, a three hundred pound juggernaut becomes a three hundred pound dead weight._"

Spike shoved him backwards, at which Justin limped a little to regain his balance. The pained expression on his face said it all. As he came at him one more time, he was moving a lot more slowly. He saw an opening, and went for it. Swiping aside Justin's clumsy haymaker, he brought a knee into his face, sending Justin to the ground. He was starting to get up, but Spike punched him, before snatching him into a tight choke, grapevining his legs around him and holding on for dear life.

Justin struggled for a moment, and his face turned beetroot red. He felt his strength leaving him as he tried to get loose, but eventually, he just fell quiet and went limp. Spike released him, shoving him off as Justin coughed furiously, fighting for breath. Spike went over to his family and friends, clutching his ribs from his earlier blow. Vicky wrapped her arms around him as he started to walk away.

"You did well Spike." Kimberly complimented him. "Serena's a better teacher than I thought."

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Justin spluttered.

"It's over Justin." Spike told him. "I beat you fair and square. We all saw it."

"It's not over until I say it is!" He screamed. He grabbed one of the defence players and shoved him forward. "You fight him!"

"Justin..."

"I said take him out!" Justin called out.

"Justin, the video..."

"Then you're off the team!" He interrupted the player's protest. "I'll have coach bench your ass for the season! You fight him!"

The next player shook his head. As he went around the other players, they all shied away and turned their gaze from him. Justin turned back to them.

"Kind of lonely when the pack tuck their tails between their legs." Kimberly told him. "You have a serious problem Justin, you need to deal with it."

"If you think..."

"It wasn't a request." Kimberly clarified. "You need help. Whatever makes you lash out at the world is obviously making you very unhappy, and you've already seen all that happens is people get hurt. Now, you can go to the school counsellor to talk about what help is available, or I can talk to your coach and the head. I know you're a big shot, but once they see this and realise how much trouble it would be if this video gets to the education department, how quick do you think you'd find yourself turfed out of here?"

Justin stormed away angrily, leaving the field. The rest of the team dispersed shortly afterwards, heading off their own way, no longer as a pack. Spike looked to Brad, who was still being held up by Bulk.

"I tried to stop them." He told Spike. "What they were doing, it wasn't right."

"What do you want?" Mal asked him sarcastically. "A medal?"

"Spike, I know its really lame, but...I'm sorry." Brad told him. Bulk just looked to him. "After our fight, I really started to think. I used to hurt kids all the time, that was the first time I had been left like that. Once Justin and the others turned on me though, the way they shut me out, called me names..."

"It doesn't feel good does it?" Spike interrupted him. He shook his head.

"I know it's not going to repay everyone what I've done, but I mean it. I'm sorry." Brad told him. "I've only been on the receiving end a few days, and I hate how it made me feel. I can't do that to anyone else again."

"It isn't enough." Spike agreed. "But it is a hell of a start."

"Alright, we should probably get you to a doctor." Bulk stated. "Vicky, we'll see you and Mal home too."

"Thanks." She replied. As they walked away, Kimberly put her arm around Spike, who returned the gesture.

"I guess..."

"We'll talk when we get home." Kimberly told him with a proud smile. "In the meantime, I think there's someone else who'd appreciate the hug more."

"Thanks mom." He answered, making his way to Vicky, and putting his arm around her. Kimberly couldn't help smiling as they made their way off the field. As much as she hated seeing him hurt, and she hated the fact he had to fight, she had seen a lot of strength in him she hadn't before. He had friends who obviously cared for him deeply, and that he cared for in return. He was willing to do anything to protect them, and from what she had seen, he was capable of looking after himself. Seeing her stepson comforting the terrified girl, she felt her heart swelling with pride.

Later, back at home, Kimberly and Bulk were sitting in the Living Room, as Spike came in, carrying some lemonade. Kimberly gestured to him to sit down.

"So, I guess this is it then." He replied. "I've already started to pack..."

"Why, where are you going?" Kimberly asked him. Spike just looked at her a little curiously.

"You're...you're not taking me away?" He asked her. "But after the fight..."

"Spike, I'm not happy you had to fight." Kimberly interrupted him. "But I have to admit, I really didn't help matters. If anything, that fight was probably my fault. If I hadn't gotten involved, Justin..."

"He's a psycho mom." Spike reminded her. "He'd have taken things too far one day."

"But when he did, he did it with someone who could deal with it." Kimberly said with a smile. "Spike, as much as I don't like the idea of you fighting, and I don't want to see you get hurt, you have no idea how proud I am of you. You did an incredible thing, even though I'm sure you were terrified."

"I was kind of scared." Spike admitted. "Justin's fist is kind of like a freight train."

"Your friends, they're kind of incredible." Kimberly told him. "I can see why you care about them so much. And it's pretty clear they care about you too."

"I'm just glad Mal's talking to me again." Spike chuckled. "So, you're serious about letting me stay?"

"Only if you want to." Kimberly replied. "I mean, I love you, and I'd love to see you every day, but if this is what you want, then I guess you've shown me this has been good for you."

"Thanks mom." Spike replied, hugging her tightly.

"Besides, after what I've seen, the school looks like it could need you." Kimberly complimented him. "Kind of their own personal Ranger."

"Thanks mom." Spike said as he smiled at the compliment. He knew all about her past, and hearing that from a former Ranger was an honour he was overjoyed to hear.

"Well, that was some Valentine's day." Kimberly commented. "I guess in all the excitement, you may have forgotten to get a special someone something."

"No, I didn't forget." Spike replied. He reached into his bag, and pulled out a parcel, wrapped in shiny paper. He handed it to her. "Happy Birthday mom."

Kimberly's face lit up. Her birthday was indeed Valentine's day, but given the chaos, she hadn't expected him to get her anything. She unwrapped it, finding a pink scarf inside.

"Wow, thanks." Kimberly told him. "But, I wasn't meaning me."

"Then who did you...?" He started to ask, but the look on his step-mom's face said it all. "Vicky?"

"You were awfully quick to fight to defend her honour." She commented.

"Mom, we're just friends!" Spike protested. She just gave him that annoying little look that said she didn't buy what he had said for a second.

"Alright, I guess I just got my wires crossed." Kimberly replied.

"Mom, we are!" Spike screeched. "Tell her Uncle Bulk!"

"Hey, I'm saying nothing." Bulk said, holding his hands up defensively with a huge grin on his face. Spike just crossed his arms tightly and sulked.

"You guys suck." He complained.

**A/N:** Happy Valentine's Day folks.


	10. Celebrity Status

A plane landed in an airport, before being towed into the terminal. Baggage handlers all approached it under the careful watch of security personnel making their rounds.

The side of the plane was opened, and one of the baggage handlers, or "throwers" as they were sometimes called, pulled on one of the stacks of luggage, releasing the bungee holding it in place and causing it to spill onto the ground.

"_Hey, be careful!_" The supervisor called out in his native tongue. "_Some of those bags are marked as fragile!_"

"_Yeah, because we always paid so much attention to that before._" He replied with a little smirk. They both shared their usual laugh as the cart arrived to collect the bags.

"_Alright, just load up quickly._" The Supervisor told them. "_I don't get overtime, and I have every intention of going home in..._"

His words were cut off as one of the throwers stumbled and fell; dropping the case he was holding. He was staring into the cargo hold, pointing as he did so.

"_What now?_" The supervisor asked.

"_I saw something moving!_" He stammered. The supervisor just rolled his eyes.

"_Someone's probably just trying to smuggle their dog again._" He groaned, pulling the man up.

"_I saw a shadow._" He stated. "_That was no Chihuahua!_" He stated.

"_Grow a set and get on with it will you?_" The supervisor chastised him. "_Do you really want me to call...?_"

Just then, he heard something, and he had to agree that it sounded a lot larger than a small dog. It had to be something fairly big. He started to approach slowly.

"_Should I get security?_" The thrower asked. "_It could be a person..._"

"_Don't be stupid._" The supervisor replied. "_Do you have any idea how cold the luggage hold gets?_"

His words were cut off as one of the bungees wrapped itself wrapped around his neck, and he was dragged backwards into the plane. Three terrified baggage handlers heard a couple of sounds indicating a struggle; before the supervisor's unconscious body flew out of the hold, landing in a heap.

"_Security!_" One of them screamed, shortly before a suitcase flew out, smacking him in the head aggressively.

A short, blonde woman leapt out of the hold, landing a little way from them, before rushing them, taking down the first with a flying knee attack to the jaw. The other she caught and grabbed in a sleeper hold, taking him down quickly.

She looked around, hoping she had managed to take them down in time, but as a shot rang out, her head snapped around, and she saw a couple of armed guards approaching. Although the journey was necessary, and this was the only way she had the means to get where she needed to be, even she knew that airport security was pretty humourless in the modern era.

Seeing some fuel nearby, She concentrated her mental energies, and they erupted in flames, exploding with enough force to send the security flying, leaving them writhing on the ground, trying to put out the flames on their uniforms. She really wished she had time to check on them, but was satisfied they were alive, and started to sprint for the fence.

By now, and alarm had sounded, and she knew more security would be on the way. This would only make her escape harder. As she approached the fence, she saw a stack of storage containers near the fence, and saw an escape route. She leapt up, grabbing one of them, and hauled herself up; rolling onto it just as a couple of rounds rebounded off the metal near her.

She looked up, seeing that one of the security staff had gotten onto the container and rushed him, reaching him before he could bring his weapon to bear. She kicked the gun aside, and punched him in the face, before grabbing him and running, launching him off the side, where he landed on top of the fence, screaming in pain as he crushed down the barbed wire. She jumped across, landing on his back with both feet, using him to cross the wire unharmed, and causing him to tumble over to the outside as she leapt off, landing nimbly on her feet, before running off.

Other security arrived, but by the time they got there, she had disappeared into the distance. One of them faced the others.

"_Get an ambulance; we have people hurt down here!_" He called out to one of his assistants. "_This is security, we have a breach._"

He just looked out into the distance as he listened to the response. Who had done this? And if they had caused so much damage just running away, then they could have done worse, so he had to wonder, who was that girl?

The following morning was full of activity in the Shiba House. The Rangers had been up early, training hard. Jayden and Ji had started to worry that the recent lack of activity from Xandred had left them all taking it a little easy in training, and Jayden in particular had a feeling that something big was coming.

One of the things that was spooky about Jayden was that he had frighteningly good instincts when it came to the Nighlock, verging on the precognitive. While all of the Samurai had been raised to take up their duties, it was a different level when they said Jayden had been around it his whole life. He had been a kid when the last team was active, but as his home, he had indeed been in the Shiba House at that time, making him the only one that had actually met at least one of all the other Rangers' families. He had literally grown up around Nighlock, and seen pretty much everything that they had done. If there were such a thing, he was the world's expert on Nighlock, having literally dedicated his life to studying them. If he believed something was coming, no one would doubt him.

As they relaxed with some breakfast, Emily checked her e-mail, while Mike started up a video game. They had all agreed to extra training, but even Jayden and Kevin knew that training until everyone was too exhausted to fight was pointless. Stephen had a computer in his arms as he got to the door with Serena.

"I should be back by dinner time." He told her. "I just need to get this stuff back before anyone notices."

"Well, I don't have much to do today." She told him, wrapping her arms around him. "You know, Spike's school has a pep rally today."

"A pep rally?" He asked her. "Wouldn't you rather we do something a little more...you know...less public?"

"Young and impressionable ears are listening." Mike called out as he started up LA Noire. "Emily's are young, mine are impressionable."

"It's compulsory for all students." Serena told him. "Spike's been having a rough time, I just wanted to...you know...check the place out."

"I just never thought pep rallies would be your thing." He commented.

"Why not?" Emily asked. "She was a cheerleader at High School."

"Emily!" Serena hissed, giving her a harsh glare. Stephen just cocked an eyebrow.

"A cheerleader?" He asked her. "Really?" She just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I was a cheerleader." She admitted. "It's not something I normally advertise."

"Why not?" He asked her.

"Just get to work." She replied, turning him around and shoving him out the door. She then turned to Emily.

"Emily..."

"Summer sent us an e-mail!" She rushed out before Serena could do anything. "She said she's been for her first scan."

"Really?" Mia asked as she came across with Kevin. Only Mike didn't bother coming to the computer, becoming too enthralled with the case he was working on in his video game. "Is that an attachment?"

"She said she sent a picture." Emily told them. She clicked on the link, and pulled it up. Serena, Emily and Mia moved closer to the screen, their faces lighting up as they looked at it, while Kevin just scrunched up his face.

"Uh...what is that exactly?" He asked. "It looks like a blob."

"It's the scan." Mia told him.

"Yeah, I get that." He replied. "But...you can't see anything!"

"That's not the point though." Serena told him. "You know that's a baby."

"You just need to know what you're looking for." Mia answered. She pointed to the screen. "It's an early scan, so there isn't much to see, but there's the head, and that's the body."

"It's adorable." Emily said a little dreamily. Kevin just looked to the three women and shook his head.

"I still can't see anything." He admitted.

"That's not the point." Serena reiterated. Kevin just shook his head and walked away.

"I will never understand women." He muttered as he left the room.

Spike arrived at the school, being dropped off by his mom and his uncle. Kim was going to be in town for another couple of days, and when she had heard of the pep rally, she insisted she wanted to see it.

Despite that, and the nerves he had about the potential fallout from the day before, he couldn't help smiling. He had been told that he could stay. He couldn't wait to tell his friends that he would not be leaving.

As he got into the halls, he noticed that there were a lot of whispers. He had been expecting this, it had happened before. People knew who he was, and had been whispering all week, but then he noticed something odd. There was a group of girls who saw him, and smiled, waving as they continued to whisper. He just waved back half-heartedly as he continued on his way.

A few football players saw him and turned away, but instead of doing it defiantly, or as a mark of disrespect, it seemed like there was more of a sheepishness about their actions. It was only then that he noticed that the group was a lot smaller than usual; a lot of the usual group of cheerleaders and hangers-on were absent.

"Hey Spike!" A kid called out, making his way past with a huge grin on his face. Spike just nodded in response. He couldn't really recall even seeing him before, never mind speaking to him. Some kids he knew were in the computer club all raised their hands and called out to him. He again was just completely baffled.

As he got to his locker, Mal, Jimmy and Vicky were waiting. He made his way over, looking to Vicky.

"Are you OK?" He asked her. She just nodded.

"I was going to ask you the same." She told him. "You did take a couple of hard hits."

"Hey, I'll be alright." He replied, just as a few girls walked past.

"Hey Spike." They greeted him on their way past. He just smiled and waved, before turning back to them. "Alright, would someone tell me what's going on?"

"You're kidding right?" Jimmy asked him.

"Yesterday, I was the thing people scraped off their shoe. This morning, everyone's treating me like Bono or something." He told them. "Kids I've never even met before are talking to me. What gives?"

"You really don't know do you?" Jimmy asked him. Spike just snorted.

"Does it look like I know?" He asked. "What gives?"

Mal pulled out his iPhone and tapped in a few commands, before showing it to him. Spike took it and watched what was on the screen. His mouth hung open as he saw it.

"Oh God." Spike gasped. "Someone else had a camera?"

"The fight's been on the internet all night. You have over 20,000 hits already!" Mal told him excitedly, slapping his shoulder. "You're a YouTube sensation dude!"

"I...but...I..." He started to stammer. "So everyone's seen this?"

"The football team have been cowering like whipped dogs all morning." Jimmy informed him. "No one's even seen Justin."

"Shit, this is the last thing I wanted." Spike grumbled. "I just wanted to be left alone!"

"Well, I doubt that's going to happen now." Jimmy laughed. "You're the King of the School."

"Look guys, I don't want to make a big thing out of this." Spike told them. "I just want..."

"Hey Spike." She heard someone behind him say as she tapped his shoulder. He gulped as he turned around, recognising the voice. It was Melanie.

Melanie was on the cheerleading squad, and were it not for the fact she was a Sophomore, she would probably have been the captain of the team. She was a little taller than Spike, and for her age, her body was already developing quickly. She had a slender, though healthy physique, and long, curly blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. She had a bright smile full of perfect, straight teeth. She approached him as he turned.

"I saw the video." She told him.

"Uh...yeah, apparently everyone did." Spike told her.

"You know, I always did think Justin was a jerk." She told him. "I'm not the only one."

"I can believe that." Spike said, his voice cracking a little as she stepped closer. He could feel a tightness in his chest, and his blood was beginning to race. He was sure his face was turning red. "Um...I..."

"You know, I always did think you were kind of cute." She responded as she gently pushed Vicky aside, pushing Spike into the lockers and approaching him closely. "Are you going to the pep rally? I'll be performing."

"Um...yeah, it's compulsory?" Vicky replied a little coldly. Melanie just seemed to ignore her and continued to smile.

"Maybe we can do something some time?" She asked him, handing him her phone number. "Call me."

As she left, Mal and Jimmy were grinning like mad as Spike watched her go, his mouth hanging open.

"Yeah, being the school hero looks like its hell." Mal teased him.

"The first bell's rung." Vicky replied sharply as she grabbed her bag. "Come on."

Over at the Tengen Gate, Daisuke was sitting, meditating by the shrine dedicated to the battle of the Tengen Gate. The other guardians were performing their usual duties, upkeep of the gardens, upkeep of the grounds, training and suchlike, and he was only dimly aware of them in this state.

While not the same as the power of the Noble Clans, the Elder Guardian had a deep connection to the energy forces that separated the Netherworld from the Land of the Living. He felt a great number of the disturbances, and could feel several shifts in the power balance. It was not something that came without cost; he had spent a lifetime mastering this connection.

He was uneasy, and felt something deeply disturbing in the winds. The energies were not a form of radar, and were not exact, so he was unsure what it was, but he knew a major shift was coming. A major power would soon be unleashed that would tip the balances in the ever-lasting war between the Samurai and the Nighlock. He was spending longer and longer in seclusion trying to find the answers, hoping that something would let him know what he was feeling, but so far he could not even determine on what side the power that was coming was aligned. All he knew was that it was coming, and coming soon.

His eyes jerked open, and he looked down before him. He was holding his cane, before a sand box. In his meditative state, it often happened that he would scribe symbols that showed what his mind experienced, giving him clarity. He sighed as he saw that the symbols were still not clear, still elusive as to what he was feeling. He just shuffled the sand with his hand to erase the symbols, certain that they were of no value.

Just then, he heard a commotion by the gate. He immediately got to his feet, using his power in a rare instance. He, like all the previous Elder Guardians and the Samurai that using powers frivolously, abusing them was a bad thing. His advancing age meant that he was stiff, sore, and not as nimble as he once was. He knew full well that using his powers, he would be as nimble and athletic as men decades his junior, but he always just accepted his physical limitations as part of his reality. However, this disturbance troubled him.

As he got to the gate, he saw a number of guardians standing, weapons at the ready. He made his way to the fore, and tried to see what they were looking at.

Before him, he saw a short, blonde woman, with dirty, dishevelled clothing. She was slumped in a way that indicated exhaustion, but even then there was a power in her stance that showed her strength. He could see some injuries.

"_Who are you? How did you find this place?_" One of the guardians, armed with a bo staff screamed, waving it in a threatening manner. "_Speak!_"

The girl raised her head, and Ji could see her crustal blue eyes, and her young face. His eyes opened wide.

"You?" He asked. The stranger never responded. He just made a gesture with his hand to tell his guardians to put their weapons down. "Take her inside!"

"Sir?" One of them asked.

"Prepare her a room." He continued. "See to it she is cleaned, fed and treated for her injuries."

He approached her and looked into her eyes.

"Our means are at your disposal." He told her. The stranger just wordlessly walked past him, following the guardians inside.


	11. Pep Rally Assault

The rest of the day was...interesting...to say the least for Spike. In his year, and the one below, he was a legend! His teachers never said anything, but wherever he put up his hand to answer, they always chose one of the others. Kids always made way for him, and kids he had never even met greeted him like a friend.

The juniors and seniors...they also gave him a wide berth, but it was different. He saw the kids that were older than him, substantially bigger than him, all giving him the right of way, but a kind of strange glare. It was like they resented him, hating him, and were just waiting on one of them to have the brass ones needed to take him on.

Spike had never been a violent person. He had only fought three or four times in his life, and with the exception of the fights he had won against Brad and Justin, he had always come away on the worse end of the equation. He had decided a long time ago that fighting was for suckers. It was just a road to end up getting a beat down when all was said and done. Of course, he was rarely on the winning end. Now though...it felt...different...now, it felt good!

He made his way to the cafeteria, finding Vicky, Mal and Jimmy in line waiting for him. He was already feeling pretty good knowing of his new status in the school. While the older kids didn't necessarily like him, they were giving him a wide berth. The kids his own age and younger were treating him like a hero. He made his way to them and joined the line.

"So, how's your day been?" Jimmy asked him.

"It's been pretty good." Spike told him, trying to play it down, but he was sure he still had a huge grin on his face. He picked out his meal choices as he talked to his friends.

After paying, they went to look for a table. The first table they went to, the students all picked up their trays and scurried away quickly, clearing it for him. Spike just sighed.

"I don't want this!" He called out. Mal just grabbed him and pulled him down onto a bench.

"Are you crazy?" He asked him. "People are scared of you!"

"I don't WANT people to be scared of me!" Spike told him. "God, this whole thing is..."

"So what are you planning to do about Melanie?" Jimmy asked him with a wry grin.

"What do you...?"

"Dude, anyone with half a brain cell would give their right...OW!"

He glared at Vicky, who was just innocently eating her lunch, but with a somewhat sour expression. Spike just rolled his eyes.

"I don't know alright?" He asked. "Maybe I'll call her, maybe I won't."

"Dude, its Melanie!" Mal reiterated. "She has a serious...OW! Vicky!"

"What?" She asked, looking still a little annoyed. She knew she couldn't sound convincing, so she rolled her eyes. "I'm a girl in case you hadn't noticed. Do you think I want to hear you guys talk about this shit?"

"Wow, my big sis is swearing." Jimmy teased her. She picked up a Tupperware, but he held up his hands and shied away in fear, causing her to stop.

"Look guys, I'm still the same guy." Spike reiterated. "Sure, I did what I did, but it's just a...a talent!...Like Jimmy and his French Horn, or Mal and his..."

"Don't even say it!" Mal warned him. "No one else knows about that."

"The thing is, it isn't a big deal." Spike told them.

"Tell that to Justin." Mal replied. "Presuming you can find him."

Just then, Melanie came over, and started stroking Spike's shoulders. A couple of other cheerleaders came over with her, and she shoved Vicky along, creating a space for her to sit beside Spike with her arm around him.

"Hey, you haven't forgotten about me have you?" She asked him.

"N-n-n-n-no." He started to stammer.

"So you're still coming to the pep rally?" She asked him.

"It's still compulsory isn't it?" Vicky replied coldly.

"Well, some of the girls are big fans." She told him.

"Look, I'm not proud of what happened." Spike sighed. "Sure, I fought Justin, but I didn't want to."

"Whatever." She said as she draped herself across him. Vicky started digging intently into her pudding with her spoon as Melanie oozed over Spike. "All heroes are humble."

"I'm not a hero!" Spike told her. "Cops catch crooks every day. Firemen risk their lives every day, those are heroes!"

"Stop being so humble will you?" Melanie told him, before kissing his cheek softly. "I hope to see you in the crowd."

With that, she left. Spike couldn't help watching her as she left, before a jet of water sprayed into his face. He looked around, seeing Vicky holding a bottle of water.

"You had lipstick on your face." She told him. Spike just nodded and started to wipe down his face. Before they could say anything, Vicky kicked Mal and Jimmy under the table again and gave them a warning glare. They knew that she was not to be messed with in this mood.

Back at the Shiba House, Serena was doing some stretching exercises in the yard when she saw Ji making his way to the gate in street clothing. She placed a couple of fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle to attract his attention.

"Wow, you seem to be dressed for n occasion." She commented as she picked up a sweat towel and started to dab herself down. "Let me guess...you're going to see Brenda?"

"Where I go and who I meet with are none of your business." He replied, confirming her suspicions. Serena just approached him, putting an arm around him.

"Well, I for one am thrilled." She told him. "I mean, old people..."

"Hey, less of the old!" He warned her with a finger in her face.

"Well, you are..."

"Well, if you decide to make a big thing about my love life, perhaps I will make a phone call to your mother about your tattoo." He suggested. The colour immediately drained from Serena's face.

"Now, that's just fighting dirty!" She replied. "I still haven't told her..."

"Then I presume this is the last I will hear about this matter." He replied, tapping her cheek gently with his hand. "I shall see you at the school later for the pep rally. Apparently Brenda has a Godson there."

As he left, Serena just sighed and went back to her workout.

"Damn Ji." She grumbled. "He takes the fun out of everything."

In the Netherworld, Master Xandred followed the trail of destruction as he continued his search for Arachnitor. As he got to the banks of a river, he crouched down as he found something.

Nighlock were immortal. If they weren't destroyed in battle, there was nothing that anyone knew of that would end their lives. They didn't really need to eat or drink, but that didn't mean they didn't enjoy doing so.

He saw the ruined corpse before him and inspected it thoughtfully. Cannibalism was also not unknown among Nighlock. Clearly since his transformation, Arachnitor had begun hunting anything unfortunate enough to cross his path. The remains had been left as a barely recognisable sack of meat. He touched the remains. They were still warm, meaning that the unfortunate creature had met its fate very recently. He got up, and looked around, drawing his sword. The creature was close, he could feel it.

As he heard something moving nearby, he snapped around, pulling into a guard. A low, rumbling growl heralded the arrival of his quarry.

"It has been a long time." Xandred stated. "Though if you must destroy, at least we can point you in the right direction."

With that' Arachnitor leapt out of cover, attacking the Lord of the Nighlock.

The school day was coming to an end, and the students were heading to their lockers to put away their possessions ahead of the pep rally. The parents, boosters and other guests were starting to arrive and make their way to the playing fields. Spike was just putting away his books when he felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to see Melanie behind him.

"So...um..." She began, looking to him with a little smile. "It's nearly time for the rally."

"Yeah." He told her. "It's not usually my kind of thing."

"Really?" She asked him. "Not even when I'm going to be flying?"

"Flying?" He asked her. She just rolled her eyes.

"You really don't know much about this stuff do you?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"I was homeschooled for a couple of years." He replied. "I've never been into football much. This is my first pep rally."

"I'm a flyer." She informed him. "You know, one of the cheerleaders that does most of the stunts? Gets thrown in the air?"

"Ah, right." He responded.

"Say, maybe afterwards we can do something." She suggested, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You could take me out to a movie..."

"Sorry, but my stepmom's only in town for another day or so." He told her. "She's staying to watch the rally with me, I can't do anything tonight."

"Maybe another time then." She replied. Just then, another cheerleader showed up.

"Melanie, come on! It's almost time!" She complained. Melanie just looked back.

"I'll be right there." She assured her, before looking back to Spike. "I'll look for you in the stands."

As she left, Jimmy and Mal arrived, grinning at him. Spike just rolled his eyes.

"Don't start!" He warned them. "Let's just get going. Mom's likely looking for me."

As they turned to leave, they didn't notice a little red puddle seeping through a crack in the floor.

In the stands, Bulk and Kimberly were just looking for some seats as they crowds waited for the pep rally to begin. They heard someone calling over to them.

"Kimberly!" Serena greeted her. Kimberly smiled as she saw the Earth Samurai, and headed over with Bulk, to where she had found some vacant seats. There was an older Asian gentleman with her, along with another woman. "I got here early to try and get some seats. I figured you'd be coming."

"Well, it has been a while, but I remember taking part in a few of these in my day." Kimberly admitted. "It really brings back some memories."

"Oh, let me introduce you to a couple of people." She told her. "This is Ji, one of my house mates, and his..."

"My friend Brenda." Ji introduced her, shaking Kimberly's hand. "Mrs. Skullovitch, it's a pleasure to meet you. Serena has told us a lot about you."

"All of it good I hope." She laughed. "So, I hear you're a sensei too."

"You could say that." Ji told her. "I do not take students often though. It's more of a retirement thing."

"Um...you don't look old enough to retire." Bulk stated.

"So says the guy that hasn't worked since 2004." Kimberly teased Bulk. He just shrugged in response. He didn't know what Ji's story was, but she did have a point, he couldn't exactly comment on someone else who was clearly fortunate enough to have the means to retire early.

"Hey mom." Spike greeted her as he arrived with his friends. "Sorry, we kind of got side-tracked."

"Trust you to get distracted by something shiny." She laughed at her son's expense.

"Look, they're starting!" Brenda told them, taking her seat as she pointed to the field. The band had started to march out onto the field. "Something tells me this is going to be quite a show!"

Over in the Shiba House, Antonio and Stephen were still working hard on the Black Box. Just then, they heard a Gap Sensor sounding, and snapped up from the work bench. Rushing through to the main room, they found the others gathered around the map.

"What's going on?" Antonio asked. Jayden was just staring at the map.

"There's Gap activity at Central High School." He informed them. "A LOT of Gap activity."

"Wait, Central High School?" Emily asked. "Isn't that Spike's school?"

"I think so." Mike responded. "Why?"

"Serena went there!" Stephen shrieked. "She said Spike was attending a pep rally and she went for moral support."

Jayden tapped the map with his Samuraizer, and the surface rippled, showing all the power signatures in the area as it zoomed in on the playing fields.

"Serena's there." He confirmed. "Ji is too."

"What about this?" Mia asked, pointing to another energy signature. He just shook his head.

"I don't know." He admitted. "It doesn't register as a Nighlock, or a Mooger."

"I don't think that's what we should be worried about." Kevin stated. "There are energy signatures all around. The field's completely surrounded!"

"It'll be a massacre!" Mike called out. "We need to get over there now!"

"Not so fast!" Jayden replied, looking to Antonio. "You stay here with Stephen."

"Jayden..."

"We need that Black Box!" Jayden reminded him.

"But..."

"These energy readings are going berserk. How often does Master X throw this kind of force at us?" Jayden interrupted him. "We'll deal with this; you just concentrate on getting that Black Box up and running. Something tells me we're going to need it sooner rather than later."

With that, Jayden, Mike, Emily, Mia and Kevin all ran out, morphing as they went. Stephen just put a hand on Antonio's shoulder.

"Come on." He told him. "The sooner we figure this out, the better."

Back at the school, the pep rally was well under way. Spike watched on as the football team rushed out onto the field, taking in the cheers of the crowd. Just then, he noticed Serena looking a little concerned.

"What are you looking at?" Spike asked. She pointed, and he noticed a part of the field starting to move, and split open, but in the commotion of the rally, the rest of the crowd and the performers hadn't seen it yet.

The crowd let out a huge cheer as the cheer squad reached the climax of their display. Melanie was thrown high into the air, but as she went up, the ground burst open and Octoroo appeared before them. The crowd screamed and started to scatter as Moogers poured in from all directions, beginning to coral people into the middle of the field.

Melanie fell and hit the ground hard as the cheerleaders panicked, forgetting all about catching her. Ji reached for his Samuraizer, but stopped himself as he felt Brenda holding onto him, reminding him of his predicament. He was surrounded by people. He couldn't morph without revealing who he was. Moogers grabbed them and continued to coral the crowd into the middle of the field.

"What's going on?" Serena called out as she started to make her way onto the field. "What do you want?"

"Nobody makes any sudden moves and no one gets hurt!" He told them. He looked around, searching for his target, and smiled as he saw Kimberly, pointing at her. "We only want her!"

"Not a chance!" Spike screamed, breaking into a run towards him. Octoroo though just wrapped him up in his tentacles, and raised him high into the air, before smashing him down through some bleachers dismissively. Vicky screamed as she saw his limp form lying unconscious on the ground. He looked to Serena and Ji, who were standing, trying to see a way to help, but he just gestured to Moogers all around the field, armed with bows.

"Anyone moves, I give the order to shoot." He warned them. Kimberly looked to Spike, seeing him on the ground, unmoving, but still breathing. She just breathed a sigh and stepped forward.

"I'll go with you." She told him.

"Kimberly..."

"We don't have a choice." Kimberly told them. "They have the high ground. If he orders them to attack, everyone here will be slaughtered."

She turned back to Octoroo and approached him slowly, with a stony expression on her face.

"I'll go with you." She told him. "Just...let these people go."

"Glad to see you're seeing things my way." He replied, gesturing forward a couple of Moogers, who grabbed Kimberly. They pulled her hands roughly behind her back and snapped them into tight metal manacles, before taking an arm each as they dragged her with them towards the gap. A moment later, they disappeared from view. Octoroo then turned back to them.

"What do you want with her?" Serena asked him.

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about what's going to happen to you." He replied. "Moogers, wait until I've gone, then open fire!"

"You son of a bitch!" Serena screamed as he disappeared into the gap, leaving the assembled students and spectators to their fate. As they saw the Moogers drawing back their bow strings, Ji reached for his Samuraizer, realising that he may not have a choice but to morph, even with the witnesses all around. He was relieved though when there was another tremor, and the Moogers were thrown off their feet, heralding the arrival of the Rangers.

As the Rangers started to take out the Moogers, Bulk ran over to Spike, who was just coming to. Serena and his friends were also quickly by his side.

"What happened?" He asked them.

"That Squid thing took your mom." Vicky informed him sadly.

The Rangers made quick work of the Moogers, taking no chances with them and making liberal use of their powers to thin out their numbers before they had a chance to regroup. With so many, and innocent bystanders, they couldn't afford to take any chances. By the time they were finished, Jayden made his way across.

"Are you alright?" He asked them.

"That monster took my mom." Spike informed him. Jayden just looked to him curiously. He had seen Spike around, and knew a fair bit about him, but this didn't make sense.

"Why would they want your mom?" He asked. Bulk got up and took Jayden by the arm, indicating to him he wanted to talk in private. He made sure they were out of earshot, before taking a deep breath.

"So what gives?" Jayden asked him. "Out of all the people here, why was Octoroo after only one woman."

"It's probably because of who she was." Bulk told him. He didn't make a habit out of telling her secret, but he figured if there was anyone that would understand, it would be another Ranger. "You're possibly not going to believe this, but there's something you need to know about her."


	12. Kimberly's Plight

The Rangers took Spike and Bulk aside into one of the classrooms after the Mooger attack. The police and ambulance crews had arrived to check over the crowd and take statements, but the Rangers wanted to hear what Bulk and Spike had to say before the police could take a statement from them and put them under observation. From the way Bulk was acting, and the fact they took only Spike's step mom indicated that there was something more to this than they were telling.

"Alright, so start talking." Jayden put down abruptly. "What was this about? Why were they after her?"

"This wouldn't be the first time that Kimberly's been involved with monster attacks." Bulk began to explain as he comforted his nephew. "Just like me, she grew up in Angel Grove..."

"Yeah, they were under attack for years." Kevin interjected. "We know, we've read the papers. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, Kim was a little more involved than most in the whole deal." Bulk told them. He looked to Mia, and gestured to her suit. "You and she have a lot in common."

"Wait, are you trying to tell us...?" Mia stammered, before pulling closer. "She was a Ranger?"

"She was the first Pink Ranger." Spike whispered.

"Do you really expect us to buy that?" Kevin asked him. "Come on kid, everyone likes to think their parents are cooler than they are, but seriously..."

"Kevin!" Mia reprimanded him, before pulling him aside. "This isn't helping. So far, they're the only lead we have."

"Guys, just to inject a thought in here." Emily told them, gesturing them all into a huddle, before pulling in close enough that Spike and Bulk couldn't hear. "Serena said that when she sparred with her, Kimberly was really good, possibly as good as her."

"Well, we aren't the only Martial Artists in the world." Kevin reminded her.

"Yeah, but...Serena's been training since she could walk, just like us." Mia stated. "How many people out there are that extensively trained?"

"Serena also said she mentioned training under Tommy Oliver." Emily reminded them. "Serena told us about how he helped in her quest. We all know about his past..."

"So you think...?"

"I reckon the story carries a lot of weight." Mike sighed. "I reckon until we know differently, we treat it as solid."

"Alright." Jayden announced as they broke the huddle and turned back to them. "Say we believe you. Her team hasn't been active in years. Why would he want her?"

"The last set of powers she had, she told us that they were linked to the Rangers' life forces." Bulk told them. "She handed her morpher to another, and the others may have lost access to those morphers, but the energy is still within them. It has some...fringe benefits."

"What kind of benefits?" Jayden asked them.

"Let's just say she's never had any danger of failing a health test." Bulk told them. "She's in her forties and can still move like she did in her teens. I can't even remember the last time she had a cold!"

"So if that energy's still inside her..." Mike began.

"That would be very useful to a Nighlock." Jayden surmised, before turning back to his team. "We need to find her."

Just then, Serena made her way into the room, seeing them all gathered around. She knew for the sake of their identities, she had to act like she didn't know them. She knew they would fill the rest of them in on what was going on later.

"Hey, I'm Serena. I'm a friend of theirs." She told them. "I needed to talk to Spike."

"Go ahead." Jayden instructed her. "We're done here."

With that, the Rangers all left. She knelt down before Spike, taking his hands softly.

"The doctors need to take a look at you." She told him. "The police also need to take a statement about what happened."

"We'll be right out." Bulk told her.

"There's one more thing." Serena told him with a little smile. "There's a girl called Melanie asking for you. She took a pretty bad fall in the attack. She's being taken to hospital, but she said she wants to see you."

"Come on kid." Bulk told him. "Let's talk to the cops. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can go."

In another part of town, Octoroo was standing in a construction site, checking around for signs they had been found. He knew about the rising Sanzu River water, and was sure the Rangers would be reading power signatures all over the city. He knew it would be quite some time before they would be able to find him.

This site was under construction, but as a result of the economic climate, it had been all but abandoned now for months. The company that owned the plot had ceased work on it, waiting until the property prices were on the increase to complete it. He knew that there would be no construction workers coming by to disturb them. He looked down, seeing many red pools among the rubble. Another reason he had chosen this site was that he was sure the waters would largely mask his own energy signature.

He heard a struggle and turned to see a couple of Moogers dragging Kimberly into view. She looked badly roughed up, and he couldn't help noticing that her shackles had been replaced with new ones. He guessed she had tried and failed to escape.

"Well, it seems even you older Rangers are quite resourceful." He commented. "Perhaps now you will settle down. It'll make things a lot less painful."

"You don't know the meaning of painful." She snapped. "How about you let me go and I can show you?"

"I don't think so." He answered. He waved his staff, and manacles came out of a couple of pillars nearby. The Moogers dragged her across, securing her ankles, before releasing her hands and attaching them. Her arms were held almost as far apart as they would go, stretching out her shoulders painfully, and preventing her from having any form of unseen movement, preventing her from trying anything to escape. He approached her and looked into her face as she glared at him hatefully.

"What do you want with me?" She asked him.

"My Lord, Master Xandred..."

"God, don't tell me another one of these sick freaks wants to marry me!" She groaned. "Lord Zedd was bad enough. You can tell him, I'm already happily married!"

"Believe me; marriage is far from his interest in you." Octoroo told her. The Moogers brought out a large, iron-bound, wooden chest and put it in front of her. "He's got something else in mind for you."

He opened the chest, and let her see inside.

"Armour?" She asked him. "He wants me to play dress up?"

"You see, this is no normal armour. It was created by the same Nighlock that created Urumasa." He informed her as a couple of Moogers started to pull out the pieces and arrange them in front of her for her to see. "The Ninjetti power sealed within you will make you a very powerful Nighlock."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly big on running with the bad guys." Kimberly replied. He just laughed.

"Once you're in the armour, you won't have much of a choice." He informed her as the Moogers started to seal the first greave around her lower left leg. She watched one of them ladelling Sanzu River water on it, at which the armour started to glow, and she saw it seal in place, the seams disappearing, as though it had been forged in place around her leg. She renewed her struggle. "Once we've sealed you in the armour completely, you'll be ours to control forever!"

She struggled frantically as they continued to work; preparing the next greave, but it was all in vain. The chains didn't even budge under her strength. Feeling despair beginning to set in, she could only hope that Spike had been spared as he had promised, and that her sacrifice had not been in vain.

The Rangers assembled back at the Shiba House, having heard of Kim's plight. Serena was waiting for them, having been released by the police after making her statement. Stephen and Antonio were with her, Stephen with an arm around her as they came into the room. They had been sure to take care not to be seen as they came back, knowing that they couldn't risk any connections being made.

"Where's Ji?" Jayden asked.

"He saw Brenda home." Serena informed him. "She was pretty shaken up by the attack, and he didn't want to send her alone."

"Serena told us." Stephen announced. "Octoroo kidnapped some random woman?"

"It wasn't so random." Jayden replied as they all de morphed. "It seems that Spike's mom was a Power Ranger."

"What?" Serena gasped, hearing this. "Wait, are you saying...?"

"According to Spike and his uncle, Kimberly was the first Pink Ranger." Emily interjected. "They want her as some kind of power source for something."

"It isn't important why they want her." Mike stated. "She's one of us, a Ranger right? So we should be trying to find her! Who cares why they want her, she's one of us!"

"So how do we find her?" Antonio asked, drawing their attention to the map. "In case you hadn't noticed, with all the Sanzu River Water coming through, it's kind of hard to get a bead on anything."

"Wait, what about that?" Stephen asked, pointing to the map.

"It's just another energy signature." Jayden replied. Stephen though, gestured to an earpiece he was wearing.

"Sorry, I'll just put it on speaker." He told them. He tapped a few keys, and they heard a hack into the police frequency.

"Repeat, spider monster on the rampage through Elysian Heights Estate, all citizens to be directed away from..."

"It coincides with reports of a monster attack." Stephen told them. "There's a Nighlock in the city, I've flagged that particular signature and sent the tracking signal to your Samuraizers."

"Spider Monster? You don't think it's that thing Arachnitor do you?" Mia asked, shuddering a little. "I always did hate spiders, but that thing..."

"Antonio, what's the progress on the Black Box?" Jayden asked the Gold Ranger.

"It's almost there." He informed him. "I don't know when..."

"I think it's safe to say we're out of time." Jayden replied. "Come on guys, wherever Kimberly is, she'll have to get by without us for now. Arachnitor needs to be shut down now!"

With that, they all ran out, leaving Antonio, Serena and Stephen behind.


	13. Arachnitor's Return

Ji looked to his watch and sighed as he prepared Brenda some tea. He had taken his responsibility to hide his true identity seriously during the attack, so seriously he wasn't sure if he had almost left it too late. He had seen the Moogers preparing to launch their first salvo of arrows, and had considered morphing. There were so many that he knew by himself he would never be able to stop all the arrows, but at least he would have saved some of them.

He had questioned his duty many times in his life. Initially because of a vow made by one of his ancestors centuries before forbidding him to enter the fray himself, but now because when he was in the battle ground, he had hesitated on the grounds of preserving their identities.

He carried through the tea, finding Brenda on the couch, still shaking in fear. He had wanted her to go with the ambulances, even though she wasn't hurt to get seen. She was terrified, he could understand that much. He was so worried about her, that he had entrusted Serena to give the Rangers the briefing on the situation. Not wanting to leave her alone, he had taken her home when she refused to go. Now that she was home, she had insisted he stay. Not only did he not want to leave her, he also knew he couldn't come up with a valid reason to go when she was so distraught. Although he had a duty to go back to the Shiba House, he had ignored it. The second time in only one night that his duty and his morals had come into conflict, only this time; he had chosen the opposite route.

He handed her the cup, which she took, gratefully taking a sip, before putting it down.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her gently as he sat with her. She just looked to him, gesturing for him to sit with her.

"Like I'm really questioning my decision to live alone." She suggested. "I've seen those things on the news before, I saw some out my office window once, there was even that time we were attacked in the park, but..."

"The first time anyone is faced with the threat of death is frightening." He told her sagely.

"You weren't." She remarked. Ji just sighed and shook his head.

"It was not my first time facing such threats." He reminded her.

"I was scared Ji. I was really scared." She admitted. She looked to him, her face devoid of colour. "But it wasn't just the fact they were going to kill us."

"It is only natural..."

"Ji, I saw the way you were acting." She told him. "You really wanted to fight them."

"I..."

"Don't try and tell me you didn't, I could see it in your eyes!" She stated loudly. "Ji, there's a difference between a couple of those things in the park and...trying to take on a freaking army!"

"Brenda, I wanted to..."

"To what? Make sure you were the first to die?" She screamed at him. "Ji, are you using again?"

She had come to believe from when they had dated before that Ji had acted out of sorts as a result of hormone imbalance caused by using steroids. He wanted to explain otherwise, but the fact was that he couldn't give her another explanation without telling her who he was.

"Brenda..."

"Ji, just answer the question, are you using again?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"I am not." He assured her. "I did consider fighting them. I did not believe they had any intention of letting us live, and hoped..."

"Oh God, I almost wish you were still using." She grumbled. "So, you thought you could take on all those things by yourself?"

"No, no I did not." Ji answered as honestly as he could. He knew he would have survived, and if he had fought, then he would have saved some of them, but he knew all too well he would never have been able to save them all. "I know I would never have been able to defeat them all."

"Then why?" She asked him.

"I hoped that I could get my friends out." He told her, putting an arm around her. "Those who did nothing would have died as readily as those who fought if those Moogers had fired their arrows. I merely hoped that by fighting, I would have had a chance to clear a way to run."

"Ji, you're good at the Martial Arts stuff, I know, I've seen it." She told him, settling into him. "Just...remember, you're not a Power Ranger or anything. As great as you are, you're just a man."

"I will try to remember that." He responded. He was about to let her go, but she grabbed his arm.

"Please, just stay." She told him. "Just a little longer?"

Ji found himself unable to leave as she looked to him pleadingly. Instead, he just held her warmly.

The Rangers made their way to the site of the disturbance, to find an all-too familiar face. Arachnitor was in the street, sending panicked citizens fleeing for their lives as he lashed out wildly at anything within reach.

"This guy gave me nightmares for days the last time." Mia said with a shrug. "Why did he come back now?"

"I don't know if it was a decision with much thought behind it." Kevin responded. "Look at him, he's like an animal! He's attacking with no direction at all!"

"We can worry about motive later." Jayden cut in. "Right now, we need to get these people out of here safely!"

The Rangers rushed to the attack, giving Arachnitor everything they had. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be enough. His claws and tentacles flashed around with such blinding speed that his guard was almost impossible to get through, and even when they did manage to land a blow, it seemed little more than an inconvenience, and if anything served only to fuel its rage and make it more dangerous.

Mike went crashing through the windshield of a car head-first, finding himself in the foot well. He started to shake the cobwebs free, before the door opened, and he tumbled out, finding himself at Emily's feet.

"Okay, that guy hasn't mellowed any." He complained, getting up. He looked around. "Where is he?"

"He's gone." Emily replied. "He just kind of...jumped away."

"After playing human pinball with our butts for a while of course." Mia replied, rubbing the back of her neck as she de-morphed. "It's like nothing we did mattered at all."

"I wouldn't say that exactly." Jayden replied. "We did drive him off. That's the second time we've managed that. He clearly isn't indestructible."

"Try telling him that." Mike said sarcastically.

"What I want to know is why did he run?" Kevin asked them. "I mean, why didn't he use a Gap?"

"The Sanzu water situation is worse than I thought." Jayden told them. "With the volume seeping through, it looks like the Nighlock don't need to return to the Netherworld."

"I guess that makes sense." Mike commented. "Why would you go three blocks for a coffee if there's a Starbucks across the street."

"Guys, I think I may know how to track him." Emily piped up as she opened her Samuraizer. "Serena, it's me, can you find us on the map?"

"Yeah, but only just." She replied. "The Sanzu Water signals are all over the place, making it hard to see much of anything else."

"Where's the largest pool near here?" Emily asked her. Serena took a moment to answer, before coming back.

"It's about three blocks north of you." She replied. "The new Skyscraper construction site."

"Arachnitor was heading north." Jayden responded. "It's a lead. Come on!"

As they started to run off, Mike looked to Emily.

"So, how did you think of that?" He asked. She just smiled.

"Cows." She responded. He looked a little curious. "When cows are thirsty and they smell water, they go crazy and head for the nearest source of water. It's one of the things that makes cattle driving really difficult."

"So you just figured..."

"I just presumed that Nighlock would be the same way if they were starting to dry out." Emily interrupted Mia. "Let's just hope I'm right."

Over at the construction site, Octoroo kept an eye on Kimberly as a couple of Moogers continued to seal her into the armour. They had just finished fitting the leg armour, sealing it in place with more Sanzu water, before gathering up the upper body armour, approaching her and starting to strap it in place.

A Mooger ran to his side, bowing before him.

"Have you finished?" He asked. It responded in its usual garbled speech pattern. Octoroo just smiled and nodded.

"Then just keep an eye out for any uninvited guests." He told them. He turned back to Kimberly, watching as the Moogers continued to work. By now, Kimberly was really beginning to panic. Her arms, legs and chest were already covered, and the chest plate was sealed in place with more Sanzu water. They reached for her shoulder plates, bringing them towards her.

"You won't get away with this!" She screamed at him. "I'll fight with everything I have! I'll never serve you!"

"Once the helmet's in place, you won't have a choice." He informed her. Another couple of moogers brought a shiny piece of metal, acting as a make-shift mirror in front of her, so that she could see the armour.

It was silver, and shiny, with an interlocking scale of pink plates across the chest, arms, thighs and shoulder plates. As the shoulder pads were sealed in place by the waters, he had a mooger grab her hair and force her to look up, seeing herself dressed from the neck down in the armour that would be her new, permanent Nighlock form.

"So what do you think?" He asked her.

"This won't ever work!" She screamed at him. "I'll die before I harm an innocent person!"

"We'll see." He replied, picking up the helmet. It had an inbuilt metal face mask that was perfectly smooth, until he ran his hand across it, using some of his magic to turn it into a perfect replica of Kimberly's face. She struggled harder as he started to approach. "I figured you'd like the world to see a familiar face when we sent you to destroy it."

Kimberly was really starting to panic now, and tears started to run down her face. There was nothing she could do as he approached her, preparing to complete her transformation. Just then, he heard signs of a struggle, and a couple of Moogers flew into view, exploding against a wall.

He looked up to see Arachnitor landing in the centre of the building site, right by the largest of the Sanzu River water pools, and starting to splash himself with water. Octoroo realised in his panic, he had dropped the helmet. Using the limited movement she had in her legs, Kimberly kicked it into the Sanzu water, right by Arachnitor's foot.

"Get the helmet!" He screamed at the Moogers. A couple of them ran to collect it, but seeing them, Arachnitor just cut them down savagely, unable to differentiate friend from foe. Octoroo just screamed.

"No! What are you doing?" He screamed at Arachnitor. "You're ruining everything!"

Just then, the Rangers arrived. Jayden, Kevin, Mike, Emily and Mia all stood before Octoroo and the assembled Moogers.

"It looks like we found the party." Kevin remarked. "Everyone's here, they're just waiting for us."

"Kids, you better..."

"It's alright Mrs. Skullovitch." Mia assured her. "We know who you are."

"We Rangers stick together." Jayden told her as they pulled out their Samuraizers. "Ready?"

"Go Go Samurai!" They all chorused together. They traced their power symbols in the air, and cast them forward, only for them to dissipate. They all looked at each other blankly.

"Oh, that can't be good." Mike commented.

"What gives?" Mia complained. "We...we can't morph!"

"That would be thanks to the little security perimeter I set up." Octoroo told her. "You'll find your weapons aren't available either."

"He's right!" Emily screeched. "I can't call my Spin Sword!"

"I may not have my new Nighlock, but with any luck, you'll all destroy each other!" He laughed as he disappeared into a Gap. "Have fun!"

"Great, so now what do we do?" Jayden asked.

"Wait, one time Antonio and I couldn't use our morphers." He reminded them. "Octoroo set up security symbols. They have to be around here somewhere!"

"Then we find them and destroy them." Jayden replied, picking up a steel support rod from the rubble. "Until then, we just have to make do. Just remember to avoid the Sanzu Water. It's deadly to humans."

With that, they ran to the attack, picking up what makeshift weapons they could find.

Back at the Shiba House, Antonio was still concentrating all the power he could muster into the Black Box, while Stephen monitored it on the computers. He smiled as he saw it floating in the air, and starting to glow.

"It's nearly there!" Stephen screamed, frantically typing to compensate for any variations in the lines of code. It was the hardest he'd ever had to work on a programme. "Any second now..."

Just then, the Black Box changed completely, almost doubling in size. It was now more angular and boxy, with a large, gold Kanji on the back of it. They watched as it opened up, and a black power disk started to lift out of it, floating above it. Antonio dropped to his knees as the power disk flew into his hand, and the Black Box gently landed on the table.

"We did it!" Stephen called out. "Antonio, we did it!"

"Yeah, we did." He replied, somewhat weakly. He looked to Serena and Peter gratefully as they helped him up. "I guess..."

"They're at the Skyscraper construction site." Serena told him. "You need to go!"

"Gold Ranger Power!" Antonio called out, morphing into his Ranger form, before grabbing the Black Box. He could feel the power in it even through the gloves, and he knew that it would be the difference maker. He could just feel it. As he ran from the Shiba House, all he could hope was that he could arrive in time.


	14. The Power of the Black Box

In Brenda's apartment, Ji was holding her softly as he tried to comfort her. She was still shaky after everything that had happened at the pep rally. He had already silenced his Samuraizer, and was keeping an eye on his watch as he did so. She shifted a little in his arms.

"You really care for them don't you?" She asked him. "The others, the ones that live in the house I mean."

"I was never blessed with a family." He told her. "I have raised Jayden since he was six years old. The others have come to me within the last year, but I have to admit, at times I find it hard not to think of them as mine."

"I guess you have a big family then." She commented. He let out a small laugh and nodded.

"Jayden's father was my very best friend. He entrusted me with his son when he died." He told her. "The others...their parents are also good friends. I consider the fact they entrust me with their care the greatest honour I have ever received."

"They love you too." She told him. "I can see that in the way they look at you. The way they talk to you."

"I like to think that I have a place in their hearts, just as they have a place in mine." He replied.

"So, did they help you through...you know?" She asked him. "Your problem?"

"They have helped me as much as I have helped them." He answered. "Sometimes, I don't know what my life would have been without..."

Just then, he paused as he saw something across the street. There was a dull, red glow from a construction site, and a lot of noise. He started to make his way over.

"Don't bother Ji." She muttered. "That damn construction site's been a pain in the ass for..."

"Something is happening there." He told her. He opened the door to the balcony, making his way outside. Brenda followed him.

"Ji, it's a pain, but it's nothing!" She told him. "There's been lights and noises there since the construction company pulled out. Some of the local homeless have taken up in there or something."

"I do not think so." He replied, recognising the pulsating, deep red glow. In the dark of the night, the Sanzu Water's glow was easily visible against the pale concrete. His keen hearing could pick out a few tell-tale sounds of combat. Just then, Brenda saw some Moogers on the highest levels.

"God, not more of those..."

"Stand back!" He stated as he retreated into the apartment. Brenda was too busy looking though as she saw someone come into view. She had to readjust her glasses and squint to be sure, but she recognised him.

"Jayden?" She asked. Just then, she turned to see Ji bonding a little, before pulling out his cell phone and running for the barrier.

"Ji, what are you doing? Are you insane?" She screamed at him. He didn't listen though, continuing his path, his concern for his son over riding anything else, even his duty to preserve his identity. She saw him draw a glowing symbol with his cell phone as he ran, before a bright flash engulfed the room, and the Black Ranger was in his place, sprinting towards her. He leapt from the balcony across the street, leaving a breathless, stunned Brenda behind.

Jayden and the others had more than a few difficulties as they fought. For one thing, they had all been stripped of their powers. For another, they had dozens of Moogers crawling out of seemingly every opening in the whole complex setting upon them.

Finally, they had puddles of Sanzu water all over the place that they had to take care to avoid. Without the protection of their Ranger suits, the waters would be deadly to them. The only good fortune they'd had was that Arachnitor was still busy rehydrating, and only seemed to be attacking anyone that got close to him. That gave them something of an opportunity to find the security seals Octoroo had put in place and destroy them.

Jayden had not seen any of the others in a while, as they had all split up to find them. They didn't even know how many seals there were, never mind where they were, so they had no real choice but to just find anything suspicious and destroy it.

Reaching the uppermost level of the structure that had been built so far, he was looking around every corner, all the while fending off Moogers with a support rod. It was no Spin Sword, right now he would even have given his left arm for something as familiar as a bokken, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

He found himself cornered on an area of the roof, around eight Moogers advancing on him with weapons at the ready. He saw there was a symbol nearby, and he lunged, driving the rod into it. Sparks flew, and he was blasted away by a tremendous force as it exploded, landing on the very edge. He could only watch his weapon fall to the ground below, before looking back to the Moogers advancing on him.

Just then, he heard a yell, and looked up, seeing the Black Ranger flying through the air. As he hit the barrier, his suit disappeared, but his momentum carried him on into the Moogers, sending four of them flying off the roof to the ground far below. Ji rolled over the edge, barely holding on with his fingertips.

Jayden ran for the others, attacking them with everything he had, taking them down, liberating a couple of swords as he did so. Once he was satisfied that they were safe, he ran to the edge, offering Ji a hand. He pulled him up, onto the top level.

"I suppose my rescues could use a little work." Ji responded.

"Trust me, it was appreciated." Jayden assured him.

"There is something you should know." Ji began to say. Jayden just threw him a sword.

"Later. For now, we're looking for Power Seals. Find them, and destroy them. We can worry about everything else later."

In another area of the complex, Mike was fending off attackers with a sledgehammer he had found. While a lot heavier than he was used to, he found it a highly effective weapon, taking down anything unfortunate enough to end up in its path.

As he rounded a corner, he found one of the seals. He brought the hammer over his head, and smashed it into it, shattering the seal, but in the process found himself propelled into another wall by an explosion. He coughed furiously. Struggling to his feet, using the hammer for support, he looked around for the others.

Just then, he felt a surge of energy as another explosion sounded. He pulled out his Samuraizer, seeing it coming back to life. He traced his power symbol in the air, powering up as he leapt back into the centre of the compound. The rest of the Rangers followed suit.

Arachnitor was, by now, completely hydrated, and was beginning to advance on Kimberly. The former Pink Ranger could see the hungry look in its eyes, and had started to struggle, hoping that the power of the armour had started to take effect, but found herself unable to pull free. Arachnitor staggered as some energy arrows rebounded off the back of his head, before turning to the Rangers. Kevin was holding the offending Hydro Bow.

"Alright ugly, how about you pick on someone who isn't chained up?" Kevin stated.

"Yeah, we Rangers stick together, no matter how long we've been out of the spandex." Mike agreed. "Rangers together, Rangers forever right?"

"Ji, you have the power over metal. If any of us can free Kimberly, then you can." Jayden told him. "Take her and go. Leave Arachnitor to us."

Ji ran forward, leaping over Arachnitor as he powered up his Spin Sword, and sliced through the chains holding Kimberly in place. She just looked to him.

"Ji?" She asked. "As in...Serena's friend?"

"We know about you, it seems frightfully rude not to tell you our secret." Ji replied, helping her. "I will explain everything once we are safe, I promise."

As they left, Jayden and the others became locked in a brutal battle with Arachnitor. Although they had numbers on their side, his power was still immense, and they were already exhausted. Every time one of them looked like they might press and advantage, they were sent spinning away, landing in a heap several feet away.

Arachnitor launched a barrage of energy blasts, sending them all into the concrete. The creature was now noticeably injured, but that only made it more dangerous, now that it was enraged. Jayden was the first back to his feet.

"Come on guys, we have to keep going." Jayden stated. "We can't give up!"

Arachnitor made a huge, sucking noise, before spewing forth webbing, but it was all cut down before it reached them. Jayden smiled beneath his helmet as he saw the Gold Ranger kneeling before him, his Baracuda Blade smoking.

"That stuff it hard to cut." Antonio commented as he stood up. "Just as well I was fast enough to have a few dozen tries."

"Antonio!" Jayden called out.

"Was there any doubt?" Antonio asked, producing the Black Box. "Here, I guess the Red Guy should have the honour."

Jayden took it from him, placing the power disk inside. He felt the energy within, and knew it was unlike anything that he had ever felt. He held it up for Arachnitor to see.

"Now let's see the power of the Black Box!" He announced. "Super Samurai Power!"

The whole world seemed pale and insignificant as the power flooded every cell in his body. It was like he could hear everything, see everything, and the world stood still. His muscles felt like they were made of pure energy, capable of anything. His mind was able to comprehend millions of things all at once, right down to the flow of air molecules and the friction they would cause as he attacked. He was even sure that he could see a few movements that Arachnitor had not yet made.

As the sensation passed, he looked down, seeing a long, flowing white coat over his Ranger suit. He could still feel power beyond anything he thought was possible in every fibre of his being. Antonio looked to Arachnitor.

"I programmed the Black Box. I've combined the power of all the symbol powers." He announced. It growled in response. "Scared, you should be!"

The creature started to make a move, and Jayden saw it, rushing forward. To him, Arachnitor was moving in slow-motion, and dodging its claws was like dodging the limbs of a tree. When he sliced across him with his Spin Sword, for the first time it seemed like the attacks were significant. Arachnitor howled in agony as he scored a telling hit, sending sparks flying.

"Holy crap!" Mike gasped. "He's moving as fast as Antonio!"

"Not quite." Emily corrected him, her eyes wide in amazement. "But his power is amazing!"

Jayden, to anyone else appeared to be hardly moving, and Arachnitor's attempts to hit him seemed to be clumsy and nowhere near him, but in truth, Jayden was simply moving too quickly and with so much power behind his blows that the creature had no hope of responding.

He eventually sent it tumbling away.

"Alright, it's time to see what this can really do." Jayden stated, taking out his Red Lion Disk and placing it in the Black Box, mounted on the back of his Spin Sword. He started it spinning. "Blazing Lion Strike!"

He ran forward, bringing his sword across Arachnitor. The creature had no time to scream, and simply pitched forward, exploding on the ground. Jayden put his Spin Sword away, turning to the others.

"Alright, I am TOTALLY NEXT!" Mike screamed excitedly. "That thing is sweet!"

"Not to mention that coat looks cool!" Mia commented, stroking the chin of her helmet. "Though, I do think it would look better on pink."

"We'll worry about this later." Antonio told them, pointing upwards. "It looks like Arachnitor doesn't know when to quit."

"Then let's show him." Jayden replied. "Let's really see what this thing can do!"

They called forth their Zords, but before they could even begin, Stephen appeared on their view screens.

"Stephen?" Jayden asked. "What the hell...?"

"There's a little surprise waiting for you. The Black Box doesn't just affect the Ranger mode, but the Zords too." He began.

"Stephen..."

"Try combining everything!" He replied.

"What?" Kevin asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Just go for it!" Stephen replied. "Trust me!"

"Claw Armour Mode!" Jayden announced as data was relayed directly to his screen. Before any of them knew what was happening, the Rangers were all in the cockpit of their new Claw Armour Megazord. They all looked around stunned by the transformation.

"Holy...alright, that box is awesome!" Mike reiterated, before seeing Jayden. He was in Mega Mode, but with a new set of shoulder pads, which had white panels on it. He recoiled a little. "Uh...not sure about that though."

"Personally I prefer the coat." Emily replied. "It was cooler."

"I definitely agree." Mia added.

"Alright, can we discuss the fashion statement later?" Jayden asked. "Let's finish this, call the support Zords!"

The Tiger, Beetle, Swordfish and Octo Zords all flew into view, forming into an artillery platform as the Claw Armour Megazord dashed Arachnitor to the ground. They took up place behind it.

"Alright, we'll get one chance." Jayden told them. "Locked on...fire!"

As they launched the attack, they saw spirit versions of all the Zords flying towards Arachnitor. As they struck him, the mutated Nighlock just let out one last roar of pain, before exploding, completely destroyed.

"Samurai Rangers, Victory is ours!" Jayden announced.

In another part of town, Ji helped Kimberly to the door of Bulk's house. He had used a lot of symbol power to do so, but he had managed to release her from the armour, but it had taken a lot out of her. He wanted to take her to a hospital, but she had insisted that she wanted to go home. He took her right to the door, allowing her to use him for support.

"You have a really good team there." Kimberly told him. "I have to admit, I had no idea..."

"You managed to keep your secret well too." Ji admitted. "It is only through a mutual friend we made the connection."

"I really appreciate it though." She said wearily as he sat her down on the steps. "I have to admit, it is a little embarrassing being rescued."

"Do not be embarrassed. We all need help at times." He told her. "Besides, as Mike said, we Ranger types have to stick together."

"Ji!" She called out as he was about to leave. "So, satisfy my curiosity. Which one is Serena? She's Yellow isn't she?"

"I believe I will let her explain." He replied. "Your flight is not until the afternoon is it?"

"How did you...?"

"I have my means." Ji told her. "Come to the Shiba House. I believe Serena gave you the address. I think my Rangers would love to have a predecessor in the house for a while."

"You know...I thought Zordon was crazy informed." Kimberly chuckled. "I'll be there."

"Bring the others." Ji told her. "Do not worry; I will make sure they do not see anything they shouldn't."

"I'd appreciate that." Kimberly replied. "Thanks again."

"No, thank you." Ji told her. "If not for you and your team, it is possible mine would never have been."

With that, he ran off, disappearing into the night. Kimberly hauled herself off the steps and pressed the doorbell.

Spike came to the door, a bokken in hand, but as he saw her, his eyes lit up. Kimberly cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that any way to greet...?"

"MOM!" He screamed, wrapping his arms around her tightly, squeezing her in a grip that suggested he didn't want to risk letting her go in case she wasn't really there. Kimberly held him and laughed a little nervously.

"I've had kind of a rough night." She told him. "Um...can I come in?"

As she stepped inside, Bulk was just coming down the stairs. As he saw her, he too was smiling, and grabbed both of them in an enthusiastic hug. Kimberly just returned it, realising there was no real way to explain. As much as they knew about her and her friends, she was also aware of loyalty to other Rangers. This team had secret identities, likely because they had families or loved ones that could be in danger. She had no right to reveal what happened to her without their say so.

"Look, I managed to get away, but I'm really just wanting a hot bath and some sleep." Kimberly told them.

"I'll run your bath." Bulk replied, charging away. Spike was still standing with tears of joy running down his face to see her. Kimberly wanted to say something, anything to him, but the only thing she could do was take him in her arms and hold him tightly.


	15. Explanations

The following morning, Kevin and Mia were practicing in the yard. Morning training was over, but Kevin was always training, and since getting together with him, Mia had taken up many of his habits.

He lifted his Yumi, drawing the string and knocking the arrow into place, before letting the arrow fly into a wicker dummy.

Mia followed up by jumping in the air, spinning around as she did so and bringing her wooden fan across the dummy's neck. They only looked around as they hears applause from behind them.

"That was pretty good technique." Kimberly stated as she, Bulk and Spike arrived. "We were hoping to see Serena...

"Hey Kim." Serena called out as she arrived, carrying some equipment. "Ji told me to expect you."

"Uh...OK?" Kevin said, looking to Mia nervously. He knew that Kim knew who they were, having seen them the previous night, but he wasn't sure why she was bringing Spike and Bulk. "Serena, perhaps some introductions?"

"Right, this is Mia." She replied as Mia shook hands with each of them in turn. "The guy with the stick up his ass is Kevin."

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Bulk commented, looking around at the house and the training yard. "I thought I had some cool stuff, but this...!"

"Spike and Bulk are the students I've told you about." Serena told the others, keeping up the pretence. "I said they could train here for a couple of hours since this place is closer to the airport."

"Wow, nice bow." Kimberly commented, looking to Kevin and gesturing to the Yumi in his hand. "Mind if I...?"

"Be my guest." He replied. She took the bow from him, and his quiver, before standing before the dummy. She drew back the bow string, but almost faster than they could follow, she had notched and unleashed three arrows, one striking the dummy where each of the eyes would have been, and the third in the heart, only millimetres from where Kevin's had landed. He let out a low whistle, clearly impressed.

"You're good." He said, the tone in his voice giving away how impressed he was with the display. Kimberly just flashed him a smile as she handed him the bow back.

"It's been a while, but I was pretty good with a bow back in the day." She told him. "You should see me with a sniper rifle."

"So, you guys want to train here for a while?" Serena asked. "Why don't you two warm up, then you can show Kevin and Mia what you've learned in unarmed combat?"

Spike and Bulk started running around the yard, at which Kevin pulled closer.

"Uh...is this smart?" He asked.

"I haven't told them who you are." Kimberly assured them. "I know they'd only be in more danger if they knew."

"I guess that's personal experience talking." Mia commented. Kimberly just nodded.

"It's good to know Spike's got a good team of Rangers watching over him." Kimberly told them. "I only want him to be safe."

"We get that." Serena answered. "He's a pretty great kid. I really like him."

"He's the best." Kimberly agreed. She looked to Kevin. "So, you're the archer on this team?"

"Yeah, kinda." He told her.

"Fetch me another one of those." Kimberly said with a little grin. "I'll show you a trick or two."

"That would be an honour." He replied, handing her his bow, before going to fetch another.

In another part of town, Emily concentrated on her Samuraizer as she traced the symbol it seemed like she had cast a million times. They had spent most of the morning running around town, locating all the Sanzu Water pools and sealing them.

"Symbol Power!" She called out. "Rocks!"

As she did so, almost a tonne of stones appeared in the air, plummeting into the pool and filling it completely. Mike and Antonio caught her as she fell backwards, almost fainting. The sad fact was, the only way to plug the gaps was with earth, and as the Earth Samurai, that meant Emily was the only one able to really deal with them. She looked exhausted, and almost ready to faint. Mike was only too happy to hold her up.

"Alright, that's the last of them." Jayden told them.

"Thank God for that." Emily replied weakly. "I don't think I'll have any problems sleeping for a month!"

"I'm still not happy about that last Nighlock though." Mike chipped in. "He mutated, and he became crazy powerful."

"But so have we." Antonio said with a smile. "Right Jayden?"

"Yeah, we have." Jayden replied. "They grow, but so do we. Now we have to be...Super Samurai!"

Antonio, Mike and Emily all looked to him, smiling brightly. The moment lasted almost a minute, before he heard a little snort. Emily suddenly burst out laughing, following which the others followed suit.

"What?" Jayden protested.

"Super Samurai?" Emily sniggered. "You really had to say that?"

"Dude, that line was so corny!" Mike agreed as he swept away a tear.

"You too Antonio?" Jayden asked, seeing the Gold Ranger also laughing.

"I may be the guy that makes all the bad Gold puns, but that was cheesy even for my tastes." He admitted, putting an arm around Jayden.

"I thought..."

"Seriously, I love you, but that line was seriously groan worthy." Antonio told him. Jayden stopped in his tracks, holding Antonio back.

"What did you say?" Jayden asked him. Antonio knew what he meant, and just smiled in response.

"You heard." He replied. Jayden leaned in, kissing him softly.

Meanwhile, in another area of town, Brenda was in her apartment, listening to loud music. She heard a knock on her door, and her head snapped around.

"Brenda?" She heard a familiar voice calling out. "Brenda!"

She made her way to the door cautiously. There was no way she could deny what she had seen. Only one night before, she had seen Ji, the guy she had been dating, turning into a Power Ranger, before leaping forty feet out her window across the street! She still had no idea what to make of any of it. She opened the door, finding him waiting with a bunch of carnations in his hand.

She was wearing only sweats and a t-shirt. She hadn't expected or wanted company. After the previous night, she had been so terrified she had called in sick to her office, too scared to even leave her apartment. Ji just held the bouquet out.

"Can I come in and explain?" He asked her. She just gestured him inside. Ji came in, knowing that he had a lot of damage control to do. The others didn't know he had openly morphed in front of someone that didn't know about them. He came in and looked around.

"Do you...have a vase?" He asked.

"In the kitchen, top unit on the left." She replied. Ji went in, finding the vase, and started to fill it with water, but there, he saw a laptop, with a website on it, one of the many that documented Ranger activity. He sighed. "I guess you're looking for answers."

"Can you blame me?" She asked him. He just shook his head as he put the flowers in the vase, and carrying it out.

"I suppose not." He commented. "Where would you like me to put these?"

"I don't give a damn about the sodding flowers Ji!" She snapped at him. "Just put the damn things down and start talking!"

Ji jut put them on a coffee table next to him, and took a deep breath.

"I took no joy in keeping this from you." He told her. "It meant a lot of awkward situations I could not explain."

"Like...?"

"I have never used steroids." He told her. She just looked a little confused. "In my youth, I was...different. At the time we previously dated, I was under a spell, one that made me revert to my youth."

"Your youth?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"Let me just say, I am happy I am not that man now." He assured her. "As for not telling you..."

"I get it, really I do." She told him. "I've seen enough movies to know what happens to the friends and relatives of the super heroes when people figure out who they are."

"I wanted to keep you from all that." He told her. "I am sorry if it offends you..."

"So what happened last night?" She asked him. He just looked to her seriously.

"I saw Jayden's life was in danger." He told her. "I am his father, saving his life was all that mattered."

"So..."

"So, I am here to explain." Ji told her. "I am sorry if I misled you, but I promise you I did so with the best of intentions."

"That's just it Ji, it's been one lie or mistruth on another for so long that I don't know what's true anymore!" She told him. "How can you expect me to believe anything you say?"

"I know I have no right to expect anything of you. I can only hope you can believe what I say." Ji told her. "I only had your best interests at heart. I only hoped to keep you from a war that has already claimed many casualties."

"Like...?"

"My best friend was Jayden's father." Ji told her. "I lost him when Jayden was only six years old."

"I...I..." She stammered. "You said he was adopted..."

"He was in a way." Ji told her. "I am sorry. I wish I could have explained."

"Ji, you have to understand, this is pretty huge." She told him. "You've just told me I was dating a super hero! You've just turned most of what you said to me into a lie. You can't blame me for needing some time!"

"No, I suppose I cannot." He told her with a sigh. "Which is why I know it is a lot to ask when I ask you to do one more thing for us."

"You want me to stay quiet don't you?" Brenda asked him. Ji just nodded.

"It would make the lives of the other complicated at best, at worst it would make them impossible." Ji told her. "I must ask you to keep their secret."

"You know how much this would be worth if I told it to the National Enquirer." She responded.

"Brenda, this is very important." Ji continued. He produced his Samuraizer. "I could, if I wanted, simply take your memory, to make sure you never recalled what you saw but I believe I know enough about you to know you can be trusted with this secret. Please..."

"You just don't get it do you?" She asked him, looking away.

"Get what?" Ji asked her. She turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his passionately. She parted from him a little way, her eyes wide, her lips quivering in fear.

Not another word was spoken. Ji just kicked the apartment door closed.

Elsewhere, somewhere no one, not even the Lord of the Nighlock dared to tread, the prisoners waited for their fate. One of them finally started to come to, dried blood caked on the side of his face.

"So, he finally does awaken." He heard a gravelly voice chuckle. "I suppose the human does have some fight left in him."

The prisoner looked down, seeing himself dressed only in a loincloth, with heavy metal shackles fastened around his wrists and ankles. He pulled back his hair, closing his eyes for a time, and re-opening them, hoping this was a nightmare, only to find himself still here.

"New Blood!" The creature next to him laughed, raising a small laugh from the rest of the prisoners, shackled in their cells just as he was. The man in the cell looked to the creature.

"What is this?" He asked. "I sought oblivion. Where am I?"

"This is the Arena of the Damned!" The creature replied. "Those who have fought for evil purposes have been weighed and measured. The greatest of them are brought here."

"For what purpose?" He asked.

"The Judge has us do battle for his amusement." The creature told him. "Those who win, who destroy their opponents take a step towards rebirth. Those who do not...well..."

"I have no desire for such a contest!" The man spat defiantly. "I WANTED my end! I WANTED it to be over."

"You will find what we want matters little here." The creature replied. Just then, a couple of guards, blue-skinned creatures with legs and arms as thin as pool cues arrived. They looked to him with large, black eyes the size of saucers.

"It seems you have been chosen!" The creature growled. "Give my regards to The Judge!"

The man was blinded by a huge, white flash, before finding himself in an arena. It was almost a hundred feet in every direction, with hooked spikes at the top of thirty foot walls. He was only a little way from the exact centre.

The lights in his cell had been dull, and so the light provided by the three suns high overhead were blinding, meaning he was unable to see the crowd at all, though the sound of their approval was deafening. He held a hand over his brow to block the worst of the light.

"We have a new entertainment." A voice rang out. "We have a recent, new acquisition. Let's see how he does against a crowd favourite!"

The man continued to squint and hide his eyes, trying to acclimatise himself to the environment, but he already knew what was coming. He was waiting for a foe to come and face him. He was expected to fight.

"She hails from the Hades Nebula, a crowd favourite, please welcome...Scropina!"

He was barely able to even see, but he could see this. She looked like an Asian human, wearing golden armour across her legs, chest, shoulders and left arm, but left her abdomen exposed. She was wearing a dark, metallic bracelet on her right wrist, which had red, glowing runes on its surface. The man looked to his own right wrist, realising he was wearing a bracelet exactly the same. He didn't for a moment notice the crowds' cheers.

"Now, for the newest challenger, let me introduce...Dekker!"

The robes were ripped from him, leaving Dekker standing, dressed only in leather breeches, looking out over the crowd. As a sword appeared in his hand, he looked across to his opponent.

Fin!


End file.
